


Who We Were Before

by biggest_stupidhead, Tired_cat034



Series: Who We Are [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Bisexual Jean Kirstein, Crying Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Cute Eren Yeager, F/F, F/M, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, Hange Zoë's Experiments, Jean Kirstein Being An Asshole, Kirishima Ayato-centric, Levi-centric (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Minor Hange Zoë/Erwin Smith, Multi, One-Sided Levi/Petra Ral, POV Kirishima Ayato, Protective Annie Leonhart, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Scientist Hange Zoë, Switch Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:00:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29234931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biggest_stupidhead/pseuds/biggest_stupidhead, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tired_cat034/pseuds/Tired_cat034
Summary: Three girls living in a society  where ghouls are despised by humans. They must find out who they are in order to be with the people they love. Lust, jealousy, unrequited love. And the need to fight for what they believe in. Will they hate the CCG forever? Or will some people change their beliefs? Can they break the cycle of hatred that has been push upon them? Or are they just what everyone thinks? Monsters
Relationships: Annie Leonhart/Reader, Annie Leonhart/You, Jean Kirstein & Reader, Jean Kirstein/Original Female Character(s), Jean Kirstein/Reader, Kirishima Ayato/Reader, Kirishima Ayato/You, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You, Levi Ackerman & Erwin Smith & Mike Zacharias & Hange Zoë & Original Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Original Female Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Reader, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman/Reader
Series: Who We Are [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2146692
Comments: 18
Kudos: 6





	1. How It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is very self indulgent but...thought we'd share, hope you enjoy!
> 
> We don't own the characters with the AOT universe or the Tokyo Ghoul universe or their stories, we have altered the story slightly to fit the story. We do however own the original characters that we created, we do own these three characters and their story.

When the world has labeled you a monster, you can't help but fit into that role No matter how you feel, you will always be an ant they must crush under their boot. How could she be any different? When she looks into the cracked mirror, all she can see is a ghoul. The red in her eyes is persistent as she tries to keep her hunger down. Her stomach growls angrily at her, as she looks across the way to see her neighbor closing his blinds. She thinks how easy it would be to finish him, nobody would know. He's old and has no family, he's alone. Just like her, she wonders if when people look at her they see what they see in him. Ugly, unwilling, all alone. A reject to all society holds dear. She shoves those intrusive thoughts aside and refocuses on the task at hand. She can hunt later, but now she needs to get ready for work. 

Yomo usually carries some extra food on him in case of emergencies. But his food comes with a cost, a cost that she’ll never hear the end of. Besides, she’s not one to beg. If she’s lucky Itori will let her off early and she can snag a drunk in a back alleyway. She finishes pulling on her white button down shirt and checks her appearance in the mirror. She has the same sunken eyes, the same messy mane of blonde hair. Her curls are harder to manage nowadays since she has such little strength. She really should start taking better care of herself. How can she love herself when nobody else does. 

The walk to the bar is usually a lonely one but for some reason, tonight the streets are bustling and crowded. Her stomach twists painfully as the smell of human flesh wafts into her nostrils. She’s so focused on controlling her hunger she doesn’t see the small child in front of her. The small girl crashes into her and smiles apologetically up at her. She looks at her small frame and thinks about how easily she could crush her bones. With great self restraint she pushes past her, the child whimpers and calls out to her mother. 

She reaches the bar and like always it is mostly empty, except for the usual trio that sat perched upon the barstools. At first she was apprehensive of the older male ghouls, but overtime she’s come to respect them greatly. Itori stands to greet her with a wide smile, although she can see Yomo behind her with an irked expression on his face. 

“You’re late.” Yomo quipped, setting down his wine glass harshly. 

“Won’t happen again.” she said, shooting a cold look at Yomo. He huffed and took a sip of his blood wine, averting his gaze. As she settled behind the bar, preparing herself for a long boring shift, Uta held his glass out for a refill. She pulls out a bottle of blood wine and pops the cork, the smell washes over her and her stomach growls loudly. Uta chuckles as he tops him off, Yomo looks at her knowingly. 

“When was the last time you ate?” Yomo asks with a hint of concern in his voice. She rolls her eyes and pours herself a glass to tide her over.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it under control.” she says not meeting the tall ghoul’s eyes. He reaches into the deep pockets of his trench coat to produce a neatly wrapped package. He slides the package across the bar without another word. She snatches the parcel and unwraps it with urgancey. Itori chuckles as the young woman scarfs down the bloody hunk of meat. 

“Geez Emi take it easy, not like it’s going anywhere!” Itori teases as she swirls her wine in her glass. Uta chuckles at Itori’s jab and watches Emi wolf down the food, her eyes dark, irises glowing red. Yomo clicks his tongue and frowns at Emi, who was now wiping the corners of her mouth free of blood. 

“Always such a lady.” Uta sighs wistfully as he holds out a handkerchief for Emi. She accepts the napkin and wipes the remaining blood off her chin daintily in spite of Uta’s remark. She then turns to take stock of the alcohol, even though it’s rarely used, only kept in case a human patron comes through. Her pointless task is interrupted by the chime of the familiar bell. She turns to see who has entered, her eyes widening at the sight of three familiar faces. Reiner leads the trio into the small space, all of them wearing matching suits. Emi quirked a brow and smirked as they sat down a few seats away from the older ghouls. 

“What brings you to this side of town?” Emi inquired as she poured them some blood wine. Emi hadn’t seen the younger ghouls in some time, almost a full year now. 

“What, we can’t come visit our dear friend?” Reiner smirked as he accepted the glass Emi handed to him. 

“Bullshit.” Emi smiled at him playfully, leaning across the bar. 

“You caught me.” Reiner chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. 

“So what do you want?” Emi asked, her eyes roaming over the trio, they’d changed a lot. 

“We have a job for you if you’re interested.” Annie spoke up, swirling the blood around the delicate glass. 

“Depends on how dirty the work is.” Emi sighed, grabbing her own glass to take a sip. 

“Oh it’s dirty alright.” Reiner said with that same smirk that made her want to sock him in that square jaw of his. 

“Not interested.” The blonde says, going back over to top off Uta who has a large smile on his face as well.

“We can offer you money.” Bertolt says, his eyes glued to the bar.

“What do you take me for, a prostitute?” She asks him, her cheeks turned slightly upward. Annie gives her a small chuckle, not into her games that she usually likes to play with the trio.

“Will you do it or not?” Annie asks again, more demanding than before.

“If i do, this will be the last time.” she says, looking at the three.

“Fine. This will be a good send off.” Bertolt says, finally meeting her eyes.

The young woman nods, and the muscular boy writes out the address she must go too. Even putting his number on the napkin. He hands it to her, she smiles to him and rips off the part with his digits.

__

Halfway across the dazzling city, an annual ball is commencing. Ghouls from all over have come to take part in the feast that Shuu Tsukiyama has prepared. The event is well known and very prestigious, only the richest members of the ghoul society are present. The patrons fill the balconies eagerly awaiting for the main event to begin. Two girls walk into the ring, their hands intertwined, looking eerily similar. They wore pristine white dresses, framing their delicate features. They almost looked like dolls. Everything matched, perfect carbon copies, even their masks were identical. Mainly featuring perfectly hand crafted masquerade masks that matched their dresses. Dainty lace lined the bottom of the mask, falling onto their noses, leaving the lower half of their faces exposed. 

Shuu flicked his wrist to signal for the gates to be opened. The crowd cheered loudly, clapping and stomping and shaking the arena. A large man came stumbling out of the darkness, clearly he was owned by one of the patrons. He laughed at the sight of the two ghouls, knowing that he could take them easily. They looked to Shuu, who gave them an encouraging nod. The two broke apart and ran along the outskirts of the arena. The oafish man turned his head sluggishly as he tried to follow the girl’s quick movements. He lashed out at the girl to his right, who easily dodged his slow attack. The other rushed in from behind and leapt up onto his broad back, wrapping her legs around his thick neck. He choked and stumbled backwards, his fat fingers clawing at the girl’s creamy thighs. 

The girl in front of him unleashed her blue bikaku kagune and swept him off his feet. 

“No fair!” the man screamed as he threw the girl off his neck. She slid in a puddle of blood, her white dress now stained in the dark liquid. She snarled and unleashed her red and blue bikaku kagune as she rejoined her twin, the two rushing him from the front. He barely blocked the blue kaguned girl as she lashed out at his large belly. The other girl’s punch landed successfully and managed to penetrate his vast stomach. The man choked on his own blood as he fell backwards. The twins stood over him, looking up at their master for his order to finish off the man. Shuu nodded proudly and the two launched into the air, their kagunes flashing in the light as they descended to administer the final blow. The crowd cheered loudly as life drained from the man's eyes, fat tear rolling off his cheeks. They intertwined their fingers once more and bowed as the audience gave them a standing ovation.   
The pair retreated into the dark underbelly of the building, leaving the loud arena behind them. With an exhilarated chuckle one of the girls pulled the white wig and draped it over her arm. 

“That was awesome!” She giggled as she shook the excess blood from the wig. 

“It was sloppy.” the other snarled as she ripped the wig off and shook out her dirty blonde hair. 

“Don’t be so uptight, Shuu told us to have fun with this one.” she said, placing the wig on a mannequin’s head sloppily. 

“When you have fun you get careless, and one of these days you’ll have too much and get us killed.” she reprimanded, reaching to fix the wig and place her own down. 

“Lighten up Addy, nobody likes a party pooper.” the girl pouted as she pulled her skirt up to inspect the deep gouges that the man had left in her thigh. 

“Nobody likes a corpse either, Alice.” Addy lashed out, gripping her sister’s wrist for her attention. The other girl pulled away as if she’d been burned. 

“If I don’t have fun then what’s the point?” Alice scoffed, smoothing her skirt down. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. We’re in this mess because of grandma, she needs us.” Addy says glaring at her sister, not knowing what solicited this behavior. 

“It’s always about grandma.” Alice sighs as she watches some blood drip onto the floor. 

“Yeah because she’s sick.” Addy snapped, her posture tense as she watched her sister. 

“Forget about it, I need to go clean up.” Alice mumbled as she marched out of the small dressing room to find some bandages. Addy sighed as she watched her disappear into the darkness before turning to inspect her appearance in the mirror. 

Alice ran her fingers absentmindedly over the textured cobblestoned walls as she wandered through the basement. She froze when she noticed a dark silhouette standing outside of the bathroom. The shadow pushed off the wall when he noticed the girl’s presence.

“Nice work out there.” his smooth voice cut through the thick silence. She dared to take a few steps closer to the mysterious boy, thoroughly intrigued. 

“Thanks…” she said carefully as she stepped into the dim light that was barely illuminating the corridor. 

“Shame you’re wasting your talents here.” his teeth flashed as his lips peeled back in an endearing smirk. She chuckled nervously and shifted her weight a bit awkwardly. 

“Where do you think they’d be more useful?” Alice asked, playing into the stranger’s alluring aura. 

“There’s a group called Aogri, you can do whatever you want when you want to. I think you’d fit in nicely.” he spoke slowly as he closed the space between them. Alice stood tall as she tried to not fall into his deep purple eyes. 

“You wouldn’t even have to wear those silly costumes.If you’re interested meet me at the abandoned mall in the 1st ward.” he said softly as he brushed a lock of her blond hair off her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat as she dipped her head to hide her blush. He chuckled and dropped his hand, much to her disappointment. 

“Alice I-” Addy froze, a roll of gauze in her hand as she took in the scene before her. 

“Who are you?” her voice turned hostile at the sight of the stranger. 

“The name’s Ayato.” he replied, stepping away from Alice, who seemed to be in a daze. 

“I don’t care what your name is, what are you doing with my sister?” she snarled, stepping between the male and her sister protectively.” 

“He’s just offering us a job.” Alice said, snagging Addy by the back of her dress. 

“I don’t give a damn.” Addy snarled, still looking at the boy accusingly. Ayato held his hands up in surrender as he took a few healthy steps backwards. 

“You know where to find me if you change your mind.” he winked at Alice before disappearing into the shadows. Addy huffed and steered Alice into the bathroom to clean her wounds.


	2. On Our Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emi and Annie are a power duo.   
> Gore and Violence.

The young woman tied her hair up, as she looked at the clock. Knowing that soon she would have to commit a Heinous act. Knowing that with those three, it was never simple, she was just glad that this would be the last time she would ever really have to work with them.

“Emi.” Yomo said, breaking her out of her dream. 

She looked over to see five people standing in the bar's doorway. All wearing a familiar scent and outfit. She quickly grabbed the bottle of thick red liquid and placed it behind the counter. 

“You guys closed?” A man asked, his voice deep and stern. His hair dark, and his eyes seemed almost sinister. Bearing a deep grey color that she could almost find herself lost in. 

“Of course not. Come on in.” Itori said invitingly, giving the girl a knowing smile. 

The five took their places at the bar, quickly immersing themselves in conversation. She knew who they were, everyone did. They all wore the same patch on their suit jackets. One that resembled wings, all the CCG had something like this. But theirs was different, special in some way. It almost made her sick, seeing them sit at the bar. Where so many ghouls have made themselves comfortable. Even their scent was off, not inviting. It didn’t make her pine for their blood, it made her want to claw their evil eyes out. 

“Scotch,neat.” The man said, motioning her over. 

“Of course.” Emi said, no matter his appearance. His behavior made her despise him. She knows better than anyone, a pretty face only gets you so far. 

She poured the dark liquid into all of their cups, everyone ordered the same thing. Following him in what he said. The stench of the liquor made the girl have to turn her head. The group listened to the man as he told them stories, laughing at every little joke he said. She didn’t know why though, he wasn’t even that funny. She couldn’t help but take a swig from the bottle that she put behind the counter. The thick substance fell effortlessly down her throat. 

“That can’t be sanitary.” The man with the grey eyes said. Looking at her disgusted. His skin almost turned a green color. 

“You can’t stop her honey. Believe me I’ve tried.” Itori said, winking at Emi. While trying not to chuckle. 

“I apologize sir. You want some?” She asked, waving the bottle in front of him. 

He swatted her hand away. Knowing that her mouth touched the top of the bottle, made him want to vomit. 

“That’s not funny.” He said looking up at her angrily. 

“Neither are your shit jokes.” She said sarcastically, smiling largely at him. 

“We’re closing soon.” Yomo said looking over to the man, who seemed shorter than the other with him. 

“And try not to scare away paying customers.” Yomo scolded, rounding the bar and swatting the back of Emi’s head. Emi grunted and rubbed the back of her head as she scowled at Yomo. 

“I was only playing around.” she mumbled, setting the bottle to the side and pulling her apron off. Emi hung her apron on one of the hooks and rounded the bar, stopping by Itori. 

“Well I’d better head out.” she said as she walked out of the bar, shrugging her coat onto her shoulders.

“Be safe out there sweetie.” Itori called after her as she slipped out of the bar. Yomo sighed, defeated, taking Emi’s place to finish ringing up the group's total. 

Emi only made it a few steps out of the dingy bar before spotting Annie in her black trench coat and dark leggings. 

“What are you doing here?” Emi whispered as she quickened her pace to reach Annie who had turned and started off down the street at a brisk pace. 

“Change of plans, the doves left their usual route.” Annie informed her, pulling her coat over her chin. 

“What’s the new plan?” Emi asked as the two ducked into a dark alleyway. Annie reached into her coat and pulled out her mask, a white wolf that covered her entire face. 

“Their captain is with them, if he’s present we might as well scrap the mission entirely.” Annie said with a frustrated sigh. 

“So we separate them and pick them off one by one.” Emi said thoughtfully, her hand on her chin as she watched Annie fasten her mask over her face. 

“I already informed Bertolt and Reiner, they’ll call Levi back to the office and then we can lure the rest to the monorail as planned.” Annie’s voice was muffled by the mask as she looked up at the roof, calculating her jump. She sprang off the ground and caught the edge of the roof and pulled herself up. Emi followed her lead, once the two of them were safely on the roof they had a perfect view of the street below. Annie crouched down as Emi pulled her own mask out of her pocket. 

Emi took one last breath of fresh air before fastening her fox mask over her face. At first she hadn’t liked the mask, thinking that Uta had made a poor choice. But over the past few years she’d come to appreciate the meaning behind it. A creature of wit and guile, a perfect fit for Emi. The group that Emi had served at the bar emerged, laughing. Emi shifted anxiously, she was confused why Annie hadn’t started off toward the group of doves yet. 

“That’s them.” Annie informed her, a hint of malice on her tongue. 

“Them?” Emi asked as she watched a dark haired man ruffle the small strawberry blond’s hair. 

“Yes that’s the special operations squad, they pose a great threat to ghouls.” Annie said darkly as they mosied down the street. Emi nodded slowly coming to terms that they were the target. A few moments passed before the group halted, the dark haired man pausing to answer his phone. The man put his phone down with an irked expression, the others groaned as he held his arm out to hail a passing taxi. He climbed in, leaving the other four behind on the sidewalk. Reiner had done as he’d promised, now it was up to Emi and Annie to finish the job. Once the taxi was well out of sight Annie stood up and released her kagune, a bright blue ukaku, Emi stood as well and released her own red ukaku. The bright kagunes cast red and blue hues down onto the street below, catching the squad’s attention. 

The group froze, their briefcases gripped tightly in their fists. Annie nodded at Emi and the two took off, leaping over the rooftops with ease. The doves gave chase, their necks craned upwards, eyes locked on the ghouls. The monorail wasn’t far away, Emi was smart enough to understand that it was a good battleground for the two ukaku ghouls. With plenty of high vantage points that they could spring up onto if things got hairy. Annie launched off the building and landed gracefully on the tracks in a crouched position. Emi remained on the rooftop so that they could surround the doves. The doves reached the large alleyway between the building and the tracks and formed a loose circle. 

“We’ll dispatch these two and head back to HQ!” the blonde male said, his fingers pressed into his ear as he spoke into the comms. 

“I’m off the clock damnit.” the man with sandy blonde hair growled as he opened his briefcase. The others followed suit, all of them had matching weapons, a pair of glowing red blades that glinted menacingly in the moonlight. Annie sprang from her perch and launched a volley of shards at the group, none of them were wounded fatally, only a few deep cuts. Annie flew off the tracks, her movements too fast for the naked eye. She managed to hit the dark haired male who stumbled backwards clutching his throat. Blood bubbled out of the clean cut as he fell onto his back, his eyes dull as the blood spurted from his throat. A scream tore through the night, Emi assumed it was the girl, using their shock to her advantage she sprang off the rooftop and roundhouse kicked the tall blonde away from the others. 

He smashed against a pillar supporting the monorail and coughed up some blood. Emi barely registered the sound of Annie engaging in combat with the other male as she turned to address the girl. She was fast, her blades slashing sloppily at Emi’s chest as she blocked the attacks with her kagune. The other male had recovered and was rushing to the girl’s aide, the only way to stave off his attack was to risk dropping her guard on the girl’s attacks. Emi whirled around and barely blocked the man’s blade, but at the cost of taking a hit in the shoulder from the girl in front of her. 

“Take her out Petra!” the man snarled, blood dribbling down his chin and splattering against Emi’s mask as he spoke. Just as the girl lifted her arm to swing the blade, Annie kicked her square in the chest, sending her flying into one of the pillars head first. The sickening crunch of bones breaking told Emi that the girl had most likely broken her neck. Emi once again used the shock of the man to her advantage, she swung her kagune down and slashed clean through his abdomen, basically cutting him in half. He fell dead immediately, the remaining member roared with rage as he rushed Annie with his blades, Annie disarmed him and kicked him in Emi’s direction. Emi grabbed his jacket and reeled him in before pushing her mask off her mouth and closing her teeth around his throat. She could feel his pulse racing as she tore through his flesh, the blood spurting into her mouth. She pulled back with a hunk of his throat in her mouth, she chewed and swallowed thickly as he fell to his knees. He let out one last wet breath before collapsing entirely, his eyes blank in death. Emi licked her lips, as she felt her wounds healing with the help of his flesh. Annie stalked over to the girl and nudged her crumpled body with her foot. When the girl didn’t move she nodded with satisfaction. 

“Good work.” Annie complimented as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. 

“Not so bad yourself.” Emi remarked as she wiped off the blood before pulling her mask down and snatching the bills. 

“This is where we part ways.” Annie said coldly as she turned and headed in the direction of the 1st ward. 

“So it is.” Emi whispered to no one in particular as she stood in the middle of the carnage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connie: "What the hell did you just wipe on my shirt?"  
> Jean: "My faith in humanity."


	3. How We Fell Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins part ways

The young girls look at each other as they bow once more in front of their adoring crowd. Alice’s eyes were scanning the stands with urgency, in search of the familiar mop of blue hair. She spotted him at last, perched on one of the lower levels, his gaze locked on her, his expression blank. She felt a primal need to please him, to gain his approval with any means necessary. As of lately he’d been attending Shuu’s events, making Alice exert great efforts during her performances. He hadn’t so much as said a word to her since they first met and he offered the twins a place at Aogiri.

Before they walk into the back. Alice’s perfect white dress now covered in blood. While Addy’s was still clean. Not even a crease in her wardrobe. Alice seemed far away as the pair wandered into the damp corridor. Her mind was racing with possible ways for her to capture Ayato’s attention once more, to feel that excitement she’d felt when they first met. She knows that the only way to prove herself to him is to join Aogri’s ranks. 

“Another sloppy performance.” Addy sighed as she placed her pristine wig on the mannequin. 

“You know we have to tell Shuu.” Alice says, taking off her own wig and draping it over one of the chairs. Addy turned and gave her sister a puzzled stare. 

“Tell him what?” Addy asks, trying to mend a small cut on the creamy skin of her arm. 

“That we’re leaving dummy. Don’t tell me you forgot.” Alice said, her cheeks starting to bear a deep red. She peeled off her stained tights and tossed them into the trash. 

Addy hadn’t forgotten. But she wished her sister had, she’s been persistent about leaving with that random boy. She knew her sister was infatuated by him, but it seems in some way he had gotten into her head. Addy knew that wasn’t hard to do, her sister was easy to manipulate, and she was too naive to ever know it was happening. 

“I told you. We’re not going.” Addy said looking over to her sister. Her eyes were wide, she looked like a bunny. So innocent. Addy turned away quickly to change out of the costume and put on her street clothes. 

“You told me you would think about it.” Alice said getting up from her chair, her eyes boring into her sister’s back as she slipped out of the dress. 

“We’re not going. End of story. We have it good here, we don’t need to leave.” Addy said, backing up from her sister. 

“That’s not fair. You can’t do that!” Her sister screamed, her eyes turning the deep red. They were so familiar with. Addy whirled around after pulling her black jeans, the button still undone. 

Her sister had been different lately, her hair was taking the most damage from her unreachable dreams. It had become dark at the roots. She didn’t look like before. Whoever she was becoming, it wasn’t her sister. And it scared her. 

“I’m trying to keep us safe. What don’t you get about that!” Addy said, as she pulled her crisp white dress shirt on and began fastening the buttons. 

“No, you’re trying to keep yourself safe. We shouldn’t have to hide anymore!”Her sister snarled, her eyes still glowing red. 

She scoffed.” Free? That’s not free, at least here we know we’ll have money for nana. Out there, there’s no guarantee. What do you want to do? Sell people to Shuu? That’s how you want to live. Hurting innocent people?” Addy said, trying to choke down every urge to hurt her best friend. Addy didn’t like their line of work, but it paid the best. And right now they needed a solid income. 

“If we have to then we will. Humans never helped us, they deserve to be hurt for what they have done to us.” She said, her voice the same. But sounding like someone else’s words. 

“He’s been putting these ideas in your head. Don’t you see? I knew you were dumb. But this! This is just ignorant. You have no idea what it’s like out there Alice. I’m the only one who can protect you. Alice said, trying to reach for her sister's hand. But she pulled away from her. 

“How would you know what's outside,we’ve been complacent our whole lives, this is our chance.” Alice said, her eyes back to the bright blue they were before. Hurt overfilled her, and her heart seemed to break in two. 

“Alice…I-“ 

She was cut off by her sister's voice. 

“You know what. I don’t need you. Ayato is waiting for me. I’m done being your shadow.” The young girl said, tears streaming down her beautiful face. 

She turned to leave, Addy reached out to grab ahold of her. But she was stopped by some force, maybe she was scared. Or maybe she just felt too guilty. She fell to the floor as her sister left, blood falling behind her white gown. Alice marched out of the stuffy room, tears falling freely as she left all she knew behind. She ran blindly out of the mansion, in desperate need for fresh air. She burst free of the confinements of the large home, only slowing when she found herself in the Tskyiama family garden. The moon cast eerie shadows over the deep red roses, the sweet fragrances mingling in the air as she stalked deeper into the fields of delicate aromas. She soon reached a gazebo where she fell into one of the seats and buried her face into her hands in defeat. 

Ayato’s acute sense of hearing caught the sounds of muffled sobs as he wandered through the garden. He swiveled his head as he tried to distinguish where it was coming from, the wind changed directions and he inhaled the familiar scent of Alice. He spotted her small frame hunched over in a gazebo bathed in moonlight. He walked silently up the small steps and stood between Alice and the only exit, the girl lifted her head and immediately gasped before turning away from him in embarrassment. 

“Have you made a decision?” Ayato inquired as he leaned against a pillar. 

“I have.” She sniffled, her head still turned away from him. Ayato stalked across the small space between them, crouching down onto her level, his elbows propped onto his knees as he stared at her. 

“What are we waiting for then” he said with a smirk he reached out and took her chin between his index finger and his thumb to turn her face to meet his gaze. 

“Let’s go home.” he whispered as her eyes widened with admiration at his actions. She nodded as he withdrew from her and rose to his feet once more. 

“Yeah let’s go.” Alice agreed with a watery smile. 

__

Addy sat numbly in the small dressing room, she had never felt so alone in her life. She hears a soft knock on the door and jolts, hoping that it’s Alice coming to apologize, even though she knows that she’s long gone. 

“May I come in ma chéries?” Shuu’s airy voice makes Addy’s skin crawl. 

“Oui.” She responded, Shuu pushed the door open and his eyes widened at the sight of the girl alone. 

“Where is my other little doll hm?” Shuu inquired as he sat comfortably in one of the empty seats. 

“She left, she’s never coming back.” Addy said bluntly, turning away from the large male ghoul. 

“I can’t say that I’m surprised. Such a free spirit that one.” he hummed, crossing his legs with a sigh. 

“What will you do?” Shuu questioned with an amused smirk. 

“I...don’t know anymore.” a single tear rolled down her cheek as she bit her lip to bite back a sob. 

“I know a place where you would fit in nicely.” Shuu’s tone took on a softer tone, his gaze also less intrusive. 

“They’ll feed you, pay you, and give you room and board.” Shuu continued after she said nothing. 

“Sounds too good to be true.” Addy scoffed, wiping those pesky tears off her cheeks. 

“Maybe so, but take when the takings are good am I right?” Shuu chuckled as he scribbled an address onto a scrap piece of paper on the vanity. He handed her the paper as he moved to leave. 

“It’s been a pleasure having you here. Thank you for all your hard work.” Shuu said before closing the door softly and leaving Addy alone once more. She looked down at the scrap of paper, the familiar scrawl of Shuu’s cursive letter spelled out: 

Anteiku


	4. How We Came Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet again

“How’d those doves taste? Tell me were they juice or dry?” Itori chuckled as she sidled up next to Emi who was staring deeply into her glass of blood. 

“I didn’t eat them.” Emi huffed as she shot a glare at the redhead. 

“Aw where’s the fun in that?” Itori pouted, throwing her arms up in frustration. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be fun.” Emi snapped, turning to face Itori, her face a bit pale as she remembered the ruthless assault. 

“Why’d you agree to it then?” Yomo pointed out as he sat down his glass, his silver eyes boring deep into Emi green hues. 

“I dunno.” Emi shrugged and turned back to her drink. 

“Offer still stands.” Yomo said, side eyeing Emi. The blond scoffed and rolled her eyes, Yomo had been pushing for her to join Anteiku’s team for some time now. But recently the offer had been oddly enticing, the extra support would be nice. 

“I think I will join you.” Emi said with finality as she turned to look at Yomo once more, hoping he could see the sincerity in her shimmering green eyes. 

“About time.” Uta quipped as he stretched his arms out. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Emi snapped, whirling around and shaking her fist at the dark man. 

“I’m just saying, you don’t want to be a drifter all your life.” Uta shrugged indifferently, a coy smirk on his lips. 

“Whatever, when can I start?” Emi turned her attention back to Yomo who had a rather smug smile on his lips. 

“Swing by tonight and we’ll get you started.” Yomo said, dropping some change onto the counter to cover for both his and Emi’s drinks. 

“Okay but my things-” 

“We’ll get you some new things.” Yomo waved her off dismissively as he shrugged his coat on. Emi sighed with slight frustration but it wasn’t like she had many possessions anyway. Itori sprang from her seat and wrapped her arms around Emi in a tight embrace. 

“Don’t forget about me.” She cooed as Emi broke the embrace to pull her own coat on. 

“How could I?” Emi smiled affectionately as she waved at Uta before leaving the bar with Yomo to begin the next chapter of her life. 

__

Addy sat perched on her bed, her legs swinging loosely over the edge. She felt like an outcast already, the ghouls clearly weren’t fond of her former employer as of late. Especially since he had apparently attempted to eat one of their own.While all the ghouls that she had seen so far had been accepting enough, they had yet to give her the training she would need to become a server. She’d spent the past two days lazing about in the small apartment that they’d given her, the flat had two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small kitchenette and living room. The minimalist apartment felt empty as she roamed the rooms like a ghost. Her third day was coming to a close when a soft knock interrupted her roaming. She padded to the front door and cracked it open to see the old manager, Yoshimura. 

“What can I do for you sir?” she asked, eyes a bit dull. The man smiled sweetly and gestured for her to follow him. 

“It’s time for your training.” Addy frowned and glanced down at her wrist watch, it was well past nine in the evening. 

“Okay then..” she followed him down into the cafe, the only lights on were directly over the bar, illuminating Yomo and another ghoul. Addy froze at the sight of familiar blonde hair, for a moment she thought it was Alice, but no it was another family member of hers. One that she hadn’t seen in well over ten years now. Her cousin, Emi lifted her head and raised her brows at the sight of Addy. Emi stood, the loud scrape of her stool filling the deafening silence of the cafe. Addy walked briskly up to her older cousin, lifting her hand as she got closer to the ghoul. 

The sound of the slap registered before the hot pain. Emi turned her face down, her cheek burning with shame and pain. 

“What the fuck was that for.” Emi hissed, clutching her cheek, her eyes narrowed at the younger ghoul. 

“For my mother.” Addy snarled, her hands shaking as she stared down her cousin. 

“Oh please I had nothing to do with that.” Emi countered, lifting her chin once more proudly. 

“Do you even know what I’ve been through for this family?” Addy growled, her teeth grinding as she tried to keep herself together. 

“How’d that work out for ya? Heard the hag has one foot in the grave.” Emi smirked, her eyes twinkling with satisfaction. 

“You bitch!” Addy lunged, her fist connecting with Emi’s nose the crunch of bone rang in Emi’s ears. Emi took a step back, her hand over her nose as blood dripped down onto the freshly waxed wood floorboards. 

“Why would I help that geezer when she never did anything for me?” Emi spoke through her hand as she glared daggers at her cousin. 

“Because she’s family.” Addy didn’t sound angry anymore, just tired. Emi opened her mouth to spit out another snarky response but Yoshimura stepped between the two, his mouth turned down in a deep frown. 

“That’s enough you two. There will be none of that here.” Yoshimura scolded, Yomo held out an ice pack to Emi who pressed it against her nose with a scowl. 

“Now for training…” The old ghoul clapped his hands together and rounded the bar, prattling on about coffee beans and the perfect brew. Addy listened diligently as the man poured steaming water over the ground beans. Emi lingered in the back, not wanting to bleed near the coffee. The training was simple enough, a simple run through of tasks that they would be expected to complete on a daily basis. Taking inventory, bussing tables, serving patrons, and going on food runs. A pretty sweet deal compared to what the girls had previously been working with. 

“I’m afraid I gave our last open room to the Fueguchis, so you will have to room with Adelaide for now.” Yoshimura said apologetically as he led the girls up into the apartments. Addy glared coldly at Emi who shrugged indifferently. 

“We’ll make it work.” Emi said, throwing an arm over Addy’s shoulders. Addy growled and tossed her arm off her shoulders. 

“Thanks again for everything sir.” Addy thanked the older ghoul as she opened the door and retreated back into her empty apartment. Emi followed close behind her, once the door shut behind her she cleared her throat. 

“Suck up.” Emi said through a fake cough. Addy whirled around, her hand raised threateningly. 

“Want me to break your nose again?” she hissed as Emi held her hands up in surrender. Addy dropped her hand slowly before turning and ducking into one of the rooms, slamming the door behind her. Emi sighed as she wandered the new space, the small kitchenette, the kotatsu, the simple love seat pushed up against the back wall. She peeked into the bathroom, only a tube of toothpaste and a lone toothbrush on the counter. The shower had a generic brand of shampoo and conditioner that made Emi cringe. She’d have to do some major redecorating in the next few days. 

Finally Emi found herself in the empty bedroom, a full sized bed, a barren desk, and a dresser occupied the small space. Emi pulled the white bedspread back and inspected the crisp sheets. She kicked her shoes off and flopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling she closed her eyes and thought back to the doves she’d killed earlier in the week. The girl’s scream still rang in her ears, the way life had drained from the man's eyes after she had ripped his throat out. She shook her head and rolled onto her side, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. 

Addy groaned at the sound of Emi’s shoes hitting the floor and rolled off her own bed and stalked over to the neighboring room. She pushed the door open without knocking and stalked over to the dirty shoes and scooped them off the floor. 

“This isn’t a pigsty, try to act more civil.” Addy mumbled as she moved to leave, Emi sat up and furrowed her brow as she watched her cousin drop the shoes near the front door neatly next to her own. 

“After that little stunt downstairs, you have no room to talk.” Addy stood by the doorframe and her eyes softened with slight regret. As Emi tilted her head to the side, an open expression on her face. The reality of her situation was sinking in her stomach like a boulder, this estranged girl was the only sane family member she had left. 

“You want some coffee?” she sighed with defeat, her head hanging to hide her flushed cheeks. 

“Sure, I could go for a cup.” Emi smiled and climbed to her feet, the pair walked silently into the kitchen and Addy began to prepare a pot with the technique that Yoshimura had shown them earlier. The pair settled at the small table and began to sip on the hot beverages. The silence was palpable as the pair sat a bit awkwardly. 

“So...where’s the other one?” Emi asked in an attempt to cut through the wall that had been erected between the two of them. Addy frowned and sat her cup down softly. 

“She….isn’t with me anymore.” Addy’s face twisted into a pained expression and Emi inhaled softly, the worst coming to mind immediately. 

“I’m...so sorry. She was a good kid.” Emi remembered the other girl’s soft features, how she had always insisted on playing dress up when they spent time together, the way she could tell a story and leave reality behind. Emi smiles softly at the thought, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest. 

“She’s not dead...she just isn’t with me anymore.” Addy said, her eyes flashing with frustration at the memory of their last interaction. 

“Ah I see, where has she run to this time?” Emi sighed with relief, remembering that the girl had a tendency to wander. She recalled all the times that Alice had ended up at her father’s front door, and how when her mother came to collect her she would beg her father to return to the family home. Each time he would refuse, he wasn’t on good terms with his parents. It had been a miracle that Emi and the twins had spent any time together as children at all.  
“She ran off with some prick.” Addy scoffed with a roll of her eyes. 

“Ah young love.” Emi cooed a bit dreamily as she leaned back with a soft smile. 

“She’s not in love, she’s just too naive.” Addy huffed, a disgusted look on her face at the thought of her sister with that hoodrat. Addy’s hands are balled tightly into fists, her shoulders shaking with fear, she felt abandoned and utterly alone. 

Emi knew the feeling all too well, memories of her father’s untimely death and the way her grandmother had not stepped in to raise her afterwards. But still she shuffled around the table and dropped down next to the girl as her tears splattered against the tabletop. Carefully, as if she was approaching a skittish horse, she reached her hand out and set it gently on the girl’s shoulder tenderly. Addy unconsciously leaned into the touch as she sobbed, Emi averted her eyes a bit awkwardly as they sat together in the empty room they now called home.


	5. How We Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Addy meets Jean  
> Emi and Levi meet once more  
> Levi meets his new squad

Alice squinted at herself in the gritty mirror, her hair had darkened considerably over the past few days. It was so dark that she hardly recognized herself anymore, she tried to smile in hopes of finding a familiar feature. But even her smile seemed forced and unnatural, she gave up on finding similarities and instead began to run her fingers through her messy hair. 

“You should cut it.” Ayato commented, her eyes found him in the mirror behind her. He was leaning against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling between his index and middle fingers. He took a drag before walking into the bathroom to stand directly behind Alice. He reached up and took a lock of her hair in his hand as he inspected it. Alice swallowed thickly, the butterflies inside her stomach fluttering excitedly at the little space between them. 

“Maybe I should…” She smiled at him in the mirror, this time it was genuine. Ayato nodded, pleased with her response. He dropped her hair and turned to leave, Alice followed him like a lost puppy. The dark halls of the abandoned mall were empty except for a few soldiers who were on guard duty. The pair reached their destination, the old food court. The skylight allowed the sunlight to pour into the space, old tables and chairs had been pushed aside to make room for small campfires. A group of ghouls stood in the middle of the space, the trio wore casual street wear, except for the tallest of the three, who wore a formal suit. Ayato came to a halt a few paces away from the ghouls, Alice remained behind him, her head poking around his broad shoulders to better inspect the newcomers. 

“Well?” Ayato’s voice was gruff and demanding. 

“The mission was a success, Levi squad has been decimated.” The large blond male ghoul said, his amber eyes narrowed into slits.   
“Not entirely, Levi is still in the picture.” the small blond female ghoul added, her icy blue eyes focused on Ayato, but once she had finished speaking her gaze shifted to the small ghoul peeking out from behind him. 

“We can work with that.” Ayato said, although he seemed displeased. 

“Any news from the CCG’s plan of action?” He drilled, his eyes landing on the meek dark haired ghoul. The ghoul startled under his harsh gaze and nodded. 

“They plan to increase the doves in the 14th and 20th wards, we’ve been assigned to the 14th as of now.” the ghoul informed him as he tugged at his tie anxiously. 

“Good work you three, continue as you are.” Ayato dismissed them, turning on his heel to go back to his quarters. Alice gave the trio one last glance before skipping after Ayato like a loyal pet. 

Annie’s eyes remained fixated on the back of the small girl, she had never seen her before. Granted most of the Aogiri soldiers wore full coverage cloaks and masks, but she should have at least recognized her scent. 

“Stay focused Annie, looks like she’s spoken for.” Reiner said, his own eyes locked on the girl and Ayato as they ascended the steps. Annie’s expression soured at Reiner’s insinuation, she whirled around and stalked towards the exit. 

“Better head back before Hange notices.” Annie said over her shoulder as the boys followed her out of the deserted building. 

“See you this weekend then.” Bertolt smiled at her as she climbed into one of the cars that Aogiri had stolen. Annie glanced at him but gave him no response. As she drove off Reiner clapped his buddy across the back and steered him towards another car. 

“Don’t worry buddy, she’ll come around.” Reiner assured his friend as Bertolt settled into the driver's seat. 

The three made it back to CCG’s headquarters just in time for the memorial service of Levi’s squad. Reiner and Bertolt sat next to each other, across the room Annie sat next to Hange. The service was rushed, Levi sat next to Erwin, his face void of any emotion. After a minute of silence the gathering was dismissed, Levi and Erwin remained in the large empty space, Erwin shuffled through some papers before passing them to his friend. 

“I know this is sudden...but it’s not entirely up to me.” the blond apologized as Levi skimmed through the files. A bunch of fresh faced recruits, seven kids total. None of them had any real field experience, except for one, Mikasa Ackerman. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a futile attempt to stave off a growing headache.   
“Why do I have to be on babysitting duty?” Levi scoffed as he paused on the profile of a kid with a buzzcut.

“Like I said, not my choice. They all were top of their class if that helps.” Erwin sighed as he rose to his feet, Levi followed him out of the auditorium. 

“Great” Levi quipped sarcastically. 

“They’re waiting for you downstairs, you’ll be based in the 20th ward for now.” Erwin informed Levi as the pair walked through the busy halls. 

“Well that’s better I guess, not much happening over there nowadays.” Levi mumbled as he inspected the profile of a blonde boy with a bowl cut. 

“That was my doing, best we don’t send the rookies into the fray right off the bat.”Erwin said as he pressed the button for the elevator. 

“Agreed.” Levi clicked his tongue as Erwin stepped back to allow him into the elevator. 

“Remember they’re fresh, try not to be so callous.” Erwin reminded him as the elevator doors closed, Levi rolled his eyes in response. Erwin sighed and turned on his heel to find his own squad. Levi tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly crawled down through the levels of the building. He wondered if the kids even knew how to wield a quinque, the elevator dinged as the doors opened to the main lobby of the building. He immediately spotted a group of young recruits huddled near the front doors, he stalked across the lobby, his eyes narrowed into slits.

“-I heard that the captain likes to beat up cadets for no reason!” A brunette girl whimpered, her shoulders shaking as she looked between her comrades. 

“I heard that he never smiles.” the kid with a buzzcut said, wiggling his fingers like he was telling a ghost story. 

“I heard that he has his own stool in the kitchen.” a boy with sandy hair said, Levi’s patience had officially run dry. He cleared his throat and the kids slowly turned to face him, their fearful expressions made his soul sing. 

“If you’re done gossiping we’ve got work to do.” Levi growled as he shuffled through his papers once more. 

“Sorry sir…” they mumbled almost in unison, eyes downcast as they waited for his order. 

“Did your mothers not teach you manners brats? Introduce yourselves.” He said with a click of his tongue, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“Senior Investigator Eren Jaeger!” a brunette with fiery teal eyes saluted, his fist over his heart. The others copied his salute, their eyes wide with worry. 

“Senior Investigator Jean Kiristien!” The sandy blonde male matched Jaeger's enthusiasm with a cocky smirk on his long face. 

“Senior Investigator Connie Springer.” The kid with a buzzcut had his hand over the opposite side of his chest, Levi’s eyes narrowed at the sight, the blonde boy next to him was quick to correct him. 

“Wrong side Connie.” the blonde hissed, Connie yelped and fixed his salute. 

“Senior Investigator Armin Arlert sir!” The kid’s blue eyes were wide and almost timid. 

“Senior Investigator Sasha Braus!” the girl with a ponytail smiled broadly at Levi. 

“Senior Investigator Mikasa Ackerman.” The raven haired girl was the only one who didn’t look nervous. 

“Senior Investigator Historia Reiss.” The blonde girl was small, even shorter than Levi. With a sigh he nodded, too tired to exert energy into scolding the children on their lack of professionalism. 

“Let’s go, we’re working the 20th.” Levi informed them as they exited the building, the seven kids following him like a row of ducklings. 

“Sir will we be fighting ghouls today?” Sasha asked, her voice a bit nervous. Levi clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. 

“For your sakes I hope not.” Levi scoffed as the squad piled into a state issued SUV. 

__

Levi rubbed his temple as he sat on the bench, the recruits stood around him all of them were chattering excitedly, pointing at restaurants and other small businesses. The 20th ward was quite, almost too quiet, although they had done a day time patrol, which was usually uneventful. Levi despised the day shift, the sun gave him a migraine without fail every time. 

“Aw look at that one!” Sasha cooed, pointing at a humble coffee shop across the street. Her stomach growled loudly at the thought of the pastries and coffee. 

“Captain can we-” Connie started, his golden eyes wide and pleading. 

“No you had lunch before we left remember?” Levi brought his other hand to rub his other temple. 

“Yeah but we only have five minutes until we’re off the clock anyways…” Connie mumbled, his lips pursed in a pout. Levi sighed with agitation as he lifted his head to examine the shop, it seemed clean enough, the leaves had been brushed aside and neatly piled by the trees that lined the sidewalk. 

“Fine, I could use a cup of tea anyways.” Levi agreed begrudgingly. The kids cheered and the group made their way across the street. The recruits entered the shop loudly, all of them cooing at the decor. They all dropped down into one of the booths, and began examining the menu. Levi sat himself at the counter, his chin tilted upwards to read the chalkboard menu he frowned when he mainly found an insane variety of coffee blends. Finally he found the small list of teas that the cafe had on hand. 

“What can I get started for you sir?” a young boy with jet black hair and an eyepatch paused, in the middle of washing the dishes. 

“Just a black tea.” Levi sighed, already feeling better being out of the direct sunlight. 

“Coming right up sir.” the boy smiled as he dried his hands off and turned to get his drink started. A girl with purple hair rounded the counter to go take care of the brats. Levi watched the kid fumble around the small bar, clearly out of his element. 

“Kaneki, I can take it from here.” A familiar voice caught Levi’s attention, the bartender from that night stood at the back door. She wore the same uniform that the other girl had been wearing, a white button up shirt with a red tie, a beige skirt and a pair of black tights. Her blonde hair was pulled back off her face in a half up half down fashion. A girl wearing the same uniform followed her into the cafe. Kaneki smiled with relief and handed the girl the box of tea leaves. The other girl picks up where Kanki had left off with the dishes. The purple haired girl returns and places the pad of paper down and begins to fill out the order. The three work seamlessly behind the counter, weaving between one another with ease. 

“You’re good to go Touka.” The blonde said as Touka finished the last cup of coffee. 

“Thanks Emi, I’ll be upstairs studying so don’t bug me.” She shot a pointed look at Kaneki who blushed and the two set off into the back of the shop. Emi waved at her halfheartedly as she carefully brought Levi his cup of tea. Levi inhales deeply, the strong bitter aroma of the brew gracing his nose. 

“Try not to drop it this time.” Emi teased as the other girl as she precariously balanced the tray and set off to serve the other recruits. 

“Screw off.” the girl grumbled as she walked slowly over to the packed booths. Levi turned his attention back to Emi, who was now cleaning up the tea pot and putting the tea leaves back. Levi watched her stand on her tippy toes to return the tea to the top shelf, his eyes traced her figure, his eyes landing on her ass. Cute, he thought to himself as she turned around and smoothed her skirt down.   
__  
“Hey Jean, I bet you five dollars you can't get that girls number.” Connie said, pointing slyly to the other girl. Who was cleaning up remaining food on tables.

Jean looked over to the blond, who was busing an empty table near theirs. He noticed that though her hair was up in a tight bun. A long strand fell loose by her eye. She seemed aggravated with it. She tried to blow it away, but it came back at her with a fury. He couldn’t help but laugh. Which made her look over to the group.

“You're on baldy.” Jean accepted Connie’s challenge with a cocky smirk. Connie clapped Jean across the back and Sasha kicked his shin from underneath their table. 

“Just don’t get us kicked out, I like this place.” Sasha warned him as he slid out of the booth. Jean gave his friends one last cocky smirk before turning and facing his target, the blond was now back behind the counter, her arms plunged into the sink as she washed dishes. Jean winced at the sight of his cranky captain, who oddly enough seemed to be a bit relaxed. Jean sat a few seats down from his captain, who paid him no mind, his gaze seemed to be locked on the cute barista who was brewing another pot of tea for him. 

Jean cleared his throat in an attempt to capture the girl’s attention. Alas this worked to no avail, she had her head hung low as she scrubbed the plates in the sink. The other barista had her back to the investigators as she scrawled down something onto a clipboard. 

“Excuse me.” Jean practically squeaked, Levi glanced at him with an unamused expression. 

“What is it brat?” Levi sighed, swiveling in his seat to get a better look at the flustered boy. 

“I was just hoping to…” he trailed off, not wanting to admit to both his new captain and the pretty baristas that he was currently sitting near them in a feeble attempt to score an extra 5 bucks. 

“Get another cup of coffee?” Jean settled quickly, his eyes flying to the younger barista, who was sneaking peeks at the captain and himself. Levi rolled his eyes and returned his gaze onto the older barista, who was now focused on counting some cups in the cupboards. 

“What would you like?” The younger barista asked with a sigh as she dried her hands off and slowly padded over to stand in front of Jean. His cheeks flared up as he got a better look at her face, full pink lips, long dark lashes, rosey cheeks, she could almost pass as a doll. If it weren’t for those eyes...her eyes were an icy blue and narrowed into slits as she waited for him to answer.

“J-Just an espresso...and your number?” He cleared his throat awkwardly as he watched the girl process his words. Levi scoffed at his words and rolled his eyes, the other barista barely bit back a laugh as the younger girl’s face screwed up in disgust. 

“I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that last bit.” she mumbled as she pulled a fresh cup out and began preparing his drink. Jean’s shoulders sagged in disappointment, Emi turned around and gave him a tight lipped smile. 

“Don’t worry too much kiddo, she’s not big on dating.” The blonde said, leaning over the counter and using her hand to block her words from reaching the other girl’s ears. This gave Jean some comfort, but he was still disappointed in the outcome of the situation. Especially since he had lost 5 bucks…

“Forget about the coffee, it’s time for us to head back.” Levi declared as he tossed some bills in Emi’s direction to cover his drink and the recruits’. Emi chuckled as Levi grabbed the boy by the back of his jacket and dragged him back over to the booths in the back. Emi counted the bills and deposited the majority of them into the register, taking the excess and waiting for him to return. 

“Go, get out now.” He ordered, flicking his wrist in a shooing motion as the children scrambled to comply. He herded the young recruits back out onto the sidewalk, his head swiveling to catch one last glimpse of the cute barista, who was holding his change with a smirk on her lips. 

“Keep the change.” he mumbled as he slid his coat the rest of the way on before ducking out of the cafe.


	6. How It Happened

Addy groaned in frustration as she scrubbed a persistent bit of food that was stuck on a dish. Nishki clicked his tongue in amusement as he watched the younger ghoul struggle. Touka watched from afar as well, her head propped up on the heel of her hand. The afternoon was dragging along slowly, not many patrons came this time of day since it was the middle of the week. The sound of the back door opening caught all of their attention, Ryuko and Hinami came down into the cafe, Hinami was bright and cheery as usual. Kaneki and Emi followed closely behind them, soft smiles on their faces. 

“Look Touka!” Hinami demanded the girl’s attention as she did a spin to show off her outfit, a cute sweater with a pleated skirt. She looked much older in this outfit, her eyes glowing with pride as Touka hummed her approval. 

“Very nice Hinami, what’s the special occasion?” Touka smiled as Hinami giggled and did another twirl. 

“Mama is taking me to get a new book!” she exclaimed excitedly, Touka nodded and smiled at Ryuko who was watching her daughter fondly. 

“What book do you want?” Emi asked as she pulled her apron on to start her shift. Kaneki aslo shrugged his apron on and went to assist Addy with the dishes. 

“I want to get Sen Tatutski’s newest novel!” Hinami’s eyes lit up passionately as she answered the older ghoul. 

“You don’t say.” Emi smiled softly as she glanced at Kaneki, who was now elbow deep in the dishes. 

“Mhm.” Hinami nodded and linked her arm with her mother who chuckled. 

“We’d better get going then.” she said as the pair turned to leave. The servers all wished them a safe trip as they slid out the front door. 

“Well I’d better go study.” Touka sighed as she took her apron off and disappeared up the stairs. This left Kaneki, Addy, Nishki, and Emi to man the cafe while the other ghouls had the day off. Emi sighed as she fell onto one of the stools, her head landing on the counter with a thud. 

“Kaneki you’re doing it wrong.” Addy scolded, snatching the small saucer that Kaneki had been scrubbing from his grasp. 

“Circular motions, not...whatever that was.” Addy grimaced as she ran the sponge over the porcelain plate. 

“Oh.” Kaneki said, blinking slowly as he watched Addy finish the dish before passing it to him to dry. 

“You are a piece of work lady.” Nishki chuckled dryly as he watched Addy move onto the next dirty dish. Addy sent him a dark glare, her eyes flashing dangerously. 

“You’re one to talk, four eyes.” she snapped as she passed a clean coffee cup off the Kaneki who flinched at her quick movements. 

“Easy you two.” Emi tried to placate the pair before they went into a full blown argument. 

Addy rolled her eyes, going back to the dishes. But Nishki was persistent. Trying to get a rise out of the young blonde. He leaned over the counter and cleared his throat. Trying to grab her attention. She doesn’t look his way, not giving the man the attention he requires. He scoffs turning towards Emi, who is cleaning off tables. 

“Heard Ayato has a new pet.” The redhead says taking off his glasses and rubbing them on his uniform. 

The young blonde turns toward him, leaving the water running behind her. Kanaki looks over to the girl confused, not wanting to say anything to upset the temperamental blonde. 

“Don’t say that name again.” The young girl says, trying to keep her mood neutral. But her eyes begin to glow the bright, familiar red. The man turns to her, placing his glasses perfectly back on his ugly face. 

“What, you jealous?” Nishki asks, a smug smile pursing against his thin lips. 

“Far from it.” The girl says, balling up her fist, her eyes going back and forth from red to blue. 

The redhead laughs, sitting on a stool. 

“Guess I hit a nerve.” The man says, placing his head in between his hands, propping his large head up. To look at the girl, who he could tell was struggling. 

Emi looks over to the two, and then to the clock. Sighing with relief. 

“Okay. Kanaki and Addy, your shifts are over. Me and Nishki can finish the dishes.” She says walking behind the counter in between the scared young boy and her cousin. 

Kanaki takes a look at the three and quickly rushes to the back. Addy rolls her eyes at Nishiki once more, who flashes her a toothy smile. 

The blonde walks past the older couple and joins Kanaki in the back. Done with social interaction for the day, and her sister on her mind. 

__

Levi drummed his fingers impatiently on the metal table, he was in yet another useless meeting. The same message was being drilled into the investigators, the increase of activity was the only new topic that was being covered. He perked up a bit when Erwin stood from his seat in the front of the room and began to read off new assignments, Hange, Mado, and Amon were assigned to the Fueguchi ghoul case, Levi’s squad was still assigned for patrol duty, no surprise there. The kids were nowhere near ready for frontline action. He glanced at Hange, who was seated next to him, they were rocking back and forth with excitement, their glasses glinting in the light. He sighed and rolled his eyes, nothing new there. The meeting ended shortly after the assignments were given, Levi stalked off to his office to pour over the fresh load of paperwork that had come with his new squad.

He sank down into his office chair and pulled on his reading glasses before opening the manilla folder. He picked up his pen and began to fall into the rhythm of the paperwork, he was just pressing his pen to the paper to sign his signature when his office door slammed open. 

“Leviiiii.” Hange cooed as they sauntered into his office. Levi dropped his pen, knowing that they wouldn’t let him get work done while they were in his presence. 

“What do you want now, shitty glasses.” Levi sighed as Hange dropped onto the sofa in the corner of his office. Hange propped their feet onto the small coffee table and pushed their glasses off their face. 

“Why can’t I visit one of my bestest friends?” They cooed, kicking their feet off the table and walking over to his desk to lean on the surface. Levi frowned, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he gave Hange a condescending glare. 

“We’re not friends.” he stated blandly as he pushed his glasses up and attempted to immerse himself in his work once more. 

“Yeah you’re right...we’re not friends.” Hange sighed dreamily as they crawled onto his desk and reached across to run their fingers through his hair. He froze as they tugged at the silky strands, a shiver ran down his spine. He reached up and brushed their hand off his head before they got too frisky. 

“Not now Hange.” He scolded as he ran a hand through his now messy hair. Hange pouted, crossing their legs as they instead turned their focus on Levi’s paperwork. They snatched up a paper and began skimming through the document. 

“Interesting, seems that we’ll both be spending more time in the 20th from now on.” They said with a pleased smirk as they returned the paper to his desk. 

“So it seems.” Levi remarked, uninterested as he tried to focus on his work.

“I’m excited to work with Mado again, it’s been a bit dull spending so much time in the lab.” Hange said, their cheeks flushing a bright red as they thought about the older investigator. 

“Go fawn over that old loone elsewhere.” Levi scoffed in disgust as Hange squirmed on his desk, their breathing becoming a bit labored as they tried to contain their excitement. 

“Aw poo Levi, you never let me have my fun.” Hange crossed their arms over their chest with a huff, their legs kicking against the front of his desk loudly. 

“Get lost.” Levi groaned, pushing his glasses off his face to shoot another glare at the brunette. Hange moaned loudly and slid off the desk and sulked towards the door, sending Levi one last pitiful glance before taking their leave. Levi sighed with relief, he pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and returned to his work. A timid knock interrupted him and he groaned in frustration. 

“Hange so help me-” 

“Sir it’s Armin…” Armin’s meek voice made Levi sigh with relief. 

“Come in Arlert.” Levi folded his hands together on his desktop as the blonde slipped into the office, closing the door behind him as he walked timidly stepped up to his superior’s desk. 

“Sir, Commander Erwin sent me here to inform you that we are expected to do an extra patrol to support Mado’s mission.” Armin tapped his toe anxiously against the ground as he told Levi the news. 

“Very well, go gather the others and meet me downstairs in ten minutes.” Levi ordered as he stood, abandoning his paperwork once more and slid his coat on. Armin nodded and saluted him before scurrying out of his office, with one last longing look at his quiet office, Levi retreated out of the space. 

He stood tapping his foot against the ground impatiently as he waited for his squad. He noticed Hange and Mado’s squadron climbing into a car outside of the main doors. He squinted as he watched the car pull away from the curb and out onto the main road. His squad was taking too long, just as he was about to go search for them, they scrambled out of the elevator and circled around him. Sasha’s hot breath fanned over his face, he could smell the tacos that she’d had for lunch on her breath. His face screwed up in disgust as he turned away from her as best he could. Armin was panting, probably from the effort of gathering his hooligan friends. 

“Took you long enough.” Levi scoffed as he turned on his heel and walked briskly out to their SUV. The cadets piled in, still breathing heavily, their briefcases clunking loudly as they settled into their seats.  
__

“Alright brats, make sure to stick with your buddy, and don’t get close to the action.” Levi instructed as he opened his umbrella. The kids nodded in agreement and split off into their pairs. 

Eren and Jean split off to the left. Rain began to pour as the two boys walked down the crowded sidewalk. The tall one, took out a black umbrella and put it over his head. Eren tried to walk into the large covering but was pushed out. 

“Should've brought your own Jaeger.” The tall boy said, walking further away from the dark haired boy. Who was begging to get soaked. 

“Come on man. You know I’d do the same for you.” Eren said, trying to catch up with Jean. Who wasn’t even trying to pretend to listen anymore. 

The streets were crowded, people moved quickly. Trying to avoid the large droplets that were falling faster each minute. Eren laughed quietly as he watched a young girl and her mother run through the rain, the brunette girl holding a book in between her small hands. Jean looked over, weirded out by Erens laughter. Jean noticed the two but quickly dismissed them. Beginning to think of the blonde from the cafe the other day. Wondering what she was doing. 

The young girl ran ahead of her mother, her light coat covered with dark dots. Eren watched as she twirled in the street, not caring what anyone thought of her. The mother smiled softly at her daughter as she ran further on. Getting closer to the two boys. 

Jean looked down at his feet as he thought about the blonde’s eyes, and her stone cold face. And he wondered what she would look like, with a smile spread across her pink lips. 

Suddenly his daydreams are crushed by a force running into his legs. He looks to see a young girl who has fallen down, a book in front of his feet. Eren looks between the two, Jean seems to be in a daze when he sees her. 

“Here you go.” Eren says, picking up the book from the drenched ground. And handing it to the young one. Who seemed scared. The mother came up to the two boys. Her umbrella a bright yellow, she barely looked the two over before grabbing the younglings hand and racing into the opposite direction. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Eren asked standing up and looking at the taller boy. 

Jean looked down to Eren, and then in the direction the two went. 

“Those are our targets!” Jean screamed in sudden realization. Dropping his umbrella and running away from the brown haired boy. Eren whirled around to see, but the two had already vanished around the corner. 

He looked back to see his teammate who had also vanished. Only the dark umbrella remained. He started to turn, moving his head rapidly from side to side. But he couldn’t see anyone. His once great sense of smell now did him no good. The only thing he could smell was the thick droplets. And the dumpling place right next to him. The scent of which made his stomach weak. 

People looked at him, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Wearing his CCG issued trench coat and the briefcase that he held clutched closely to him. He felt blind, he couldn’t tell anything apart, he couldn’t focus on his surroundings . He was lost, as he started to walk the way that the two ghouls had. His pace slowed, as he tried to sniff out everything around him. He decided to use his eyes, noticing that he was close to where his teammates had split off. He ran, knowing that he was sure to find them soon. He turned the corner, and a foreign scent caught attention. He saw his teammates and other CCG officers surrounding the younger woman from before. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the white haired man, Mado standing over her. Pulling his fingers through her bloody, brown hair. Her eyes were peeled open, a small smile across her pale face. As he held her head up in victory. 

His attention was soon caught again by the unfamiliar smell. As he turned to see Dr. Hange fixing up a pale boy with thick rimmed glasses. A thin scrap across his cheek, caught his eye. Red liquid dripped out of it, as Hange started to bandage it up. Their hands covered in the savory scent. 

“Eren.” A familiar voice said in relief. He looked over to see Mikasa, who was running towards him. She drew him in for a tight hug, which got other officers attention. She pulled away, and immediately her eyes searched his body for injury. He looked over to see his captain and Jean, his eyes looked from Jean to him. He pushed past the tall boy. Who almost towered over him. He walked over to the two, with a steady expression. 

“Where the hell have you been Jaeger?” Levi demanded, meeting his eyes. Mikasa stepped back from the boy, ready to watch his scolding. 

“I-I.. I got lost.” The boy said, stumbling over his words. 

“You got lost? You were gone for almost an hour.” Levi growled, clearly upset with the boy. 

“I was only gone for like five minutes.” The boy said, confused.

“Did you go get food without us Eren?” Dr. Hange asked, walking over to the two. Sasha perked up at the mention of food. Their hands still soaked in blood, probably from one of the other officers. Eren tensed at the sight, the scent washed over him, reminding him of his mother’s homemade cooking. No that wasn’t right, blood shouldn’t smell that good. Hange’s hands found Eren’s cheeks, the blood smearing onto his damp skin. Levi scoffed in disgust as Hange smushed the boys cheeks, cooing affectionately. 

“Hands off.” Levi snarled, swatting Hange’s hands off of Eren. He reached into his pocket and passed the boy a crisp white handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face. Eren accepted it gratefully, turning away to wipe the blood off his cheeks. As he wiped the crimson liquid off his face he stuck his tongue out to lick a stray droplet that had rolled onto his lip. His eyes widened, the rich liquid tasted like all of his favorite foods, not like iron. His hand flew to his mouth in a feeble attempt to hide his surprise. 

“What’s wrong kiddo? A bit squeamish?” Hange leaned in their breath fanning warmly across Eren’s nape. Eren shrugged them off and took a few healthy steps back. 

“It’s...been a long day.” he said awkwardly, Mikasa stepped forward, angling herself to subtly block their superior. 

“It has...Let’s go out for a bite to eat and celebrate!” Hange was quick to change the subject, their suggestion was met with enthusiastic replies. Levi grunted in agreement, still feeling the aftermath of his nerves of having one of his squadmates out of his sight. 

“It’s settled then! Lets go to that new burger place down the road!” Hange exclaimed, crossing the narrow alley to drape their arms over Sasha and Connie’s shoulders. The two smiled up at them with excitement, it was clear that the duo enjoyed being in Hange’s presence more than Levi’s. Mikasa’s shoulders slumped with relief now that Hange was no longer breathing down Eren’s neck. Armin jogged over and quietly examined Eren’s state, his messy damp hair, his eyes bright and alert. Jean even threw Eren an apologetic glance as he followed Historia out of the alley. Mado and Amon denied the dinner invite, something about paperwork. So with that the Levi squad and Hange made their way to the SUV. Since there was an extra passenger, Eren had to cram between Armin, Mikasa, and Sasha in the back row. Jean, Connie, and Historia sat in the middle row while Levi drove and Hange sat in the passenger seat. Eren’s stomach growled loudly as Levi pulled out of their parking space, Sasha laughed loudly and twisted in her seat to look back at Eren. 

“Don’t worry Eren, we can pig out together!” She snickered, Jean huffed in amusement as Eren’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. Mikasa shot the two a weak glare before looking out the window once more. 

“Yeah Eren, and then we can tell you about how awesome it was to see the senior officers in action!” Connie said, puffing his chest out, Historia made a sound of objection, in a meek attempt to diffuse some of the tension. 

“Cut it out you guys…” She said meekly, her big blue eyes filled with concern. 

“Can you all just shut up already?” Levi groaned as he gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white as he restrained himself from popping a blood vessel. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of these delinquent children. Hange cackled and leaned back in their seat to look back at the recruits, their hand placed on the back of Levi's seat. 

"Do as your father says kids." Hange teased as they smirked back at the teens, who all grimaced at Levi being called their father. It wasn't that they didn't like their captain, it was just that they hadn't gotten to know him much outside of work. Plus the added pressure of being his new squad after his last squad had met such a tragic end. 

"Shut up four eyes." Levi grumbled, it was ridiculous how true her statement was. He felt more like their father than their captain at this point. They were much younger than his previous squad and required a lot more attention. Despite not knowing them for very long, Levi already felt the heavy weight of their lives weighing down on his shoulders. The huge responsibility that he had been entrusted with once more, despite the fate of his last squad. He knew that he would do anything in his power to protect them, even if it meant giving his own life and limbs. Losing Eren that afternoon had only solidified that feeling, and he never wanted to feel that again.


	7. Insatiable

The young girl walks into the familiar shop with Ayato, clinging close to him as they walk through ghouls who look to her like she’s a meal. Her new uniform made her feel exposed, the black latex hung close to her curves. Which were barely there to begin with. They walk through a door, and she is immediately greeted by the friendly face of Uta. He smiles at the couple. And Ayato shakes his arm a bit, causing her to break her clutch. 

“Just in time. I was afraid I was going to have to close before you got here.” Uta says smiling to the young girl. She can’t help but mimic his expression. 

“Would you believe me if I said we got stuck in traffic?” Ayato says, walking over and sitting on top of his countertop.

The man laughs at his remark and leads the girl over to a stool by the back wall. Which she eagerly sits in. 

“Now I know that you wanted some sort of full face. But I thought it looked better if it only covered your eyes.” Uta says twirling the girls chair towards the mirror. 

The girl placed her hands shakily on her thighs. Afraid for a moment that if she lost her mask, she would lose everything that remains of her dear sister. She quickly shoved that thought down, trying to think about what the future would hold. 

The man placed a small black piece of a flexible material that felt cold on her ivory skin. He fastened it gently in the back, moving her new hair out of the clasp. He stepped back and she looked up into the mirror. 

“It’s perfect!” She exclaimed, taking in the cat like cover. It was mostly black, but in the ears of the cat. It held a light pink. She looked over to Ayato, who paid her no attention as he looked at the masks all over the wall. 

“Don’t take that to heart. Sometimes I think that boy lives in another world.” Uta whispered into her small ear. She let out a small giggle. Which made Ayato look over to the two accusingly. 

“Doesn’t she look beautiful?” Uta said, trying to keep the boy's attention. 

“She looks fine.” Ayato grunted. Which made the girls shoulders fall. 

Ayato looked down at his wrist watch. And the girl looked back into the mirror. Placing her blonde hair behind her ears. Knowing that she shouldn’t take his words to heart. She knew he didn’t mean it. 

“We have to get going. Those doves won’t be at that restaurant for long.” Ayato said, lifting himself off of the countertop. His black cloak falling behind him. 

The young girl got up from the stool. 

“Thank you.” The young girl said. Smiling up kindly to the older ghoul. He nodded, also starting to smile. Ayato grabbed onto the girls hand harshly and ran them out of the shop. 

___

The two teens run across roofs, quietly and swiftly. The young boy holds onto Alice’s hand, with an urgency. Almost like he’s afraid if he lets go he’ll lose her. They stop on a small rooftop, over a bar. The lights illuminate their faces, turning their skin a bright red. They spot four men walking out into the dark alley before them. They bear roses on their backs. Which told the pair they were high up in the CCG’s ranks. Spotting them made the boy grin. 

He put on his mask, it held a smile. With red and white accents over the eyes. It was black, just like hers. Ayato looked over to the young girl, who’s face still remained out. 

“Hey dummy, you have this for a reason.” He scoffed, letting go of her hand and moving her new mask from the top of her head onto her eyes. He caught a glimpse of the light blue pools that he remembered from the first night he met her. In that moment he could look at her forever. 

That feeling was cut short by her stupidity. 

“Sorry. I forgot it was there.” She said, smiling up at the young boy. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and returned his attention back to the doves, who were stumbling around loudly in the alley below. 

“I’ll take the two by the street, you take the back wall. We’ll pin 'em between us.” Ayato explained, using his hand to gesture towards the target places he wanted Alice to cover and where he would be. Before Alice had a chance to question him further, he leapt off the rooftop and landed gracefully on his feet at the opening of the alley. Alice scrambled to keep up, launching herself off the roof and landing between the back of the alley and the doves. The drunk men froze, their hands hovering over their flys, clearly the ghouls had interrupted the men during their bathroom break. 

Ayato launched a volley of shards from his kagune before charging headfirst into the throng of men. Alice once again had to scramble to keep up, she unleashed her kagune, the glow of the appendage casting shadows along the dingy walls of the alley. The large man in front of her had managed to open his quinque, a thick swordlike weapon. He barely blocked Alice’s attack, the weapon and her kagune clashed together loudly, casting sparks between the two of them. His movements were slow, and Alice easily slashed her kagune across his broad chest, he fell to his knees and landed face first on the damp concrete. Alice grunted as she turned quickly to aid Ayato who had the other three men bearing down on him. 

He deployed another assault of shards onto the men, this time one of them hit home, lodging right between the eyes of one of the older men. Alice impaled one of the men from behind, the tip of her kagune wiggling from the other side of the man’s body. He slumped on her appendage and she pulled her kagune out, knowing that the wound was enough to kill the man. Ayato lashed out with his sharp wing and slashed the remaining man’s throat, he fell to his hands and knees as he tried to stop the blood spurting from his wound. 

Ayato scoffed in disgust as the man rolled onto his side, the blood pooling around his limp body. Alice’s kagune disintegrated, she nudged the man with her toe to ensure that he was dead. 

“How disappointing.” Ayato scoffed as he turned on his heel to leave the scene. Alice scurried after him onto the main street, which was empty. A distant clap of thunder made Ayato’s expression sour further. 

“We have more work to do.” Ayato said as they marched up the empty street. Alice looked up at the sky, the clouds swirled darkly above, heavy with rain despite the downpour that they had unleashed earlier in the day. 

“What kind of work?” Alice asked with a sweet voice, hoping to coax a more friendly reaction from the cold boy. 

“Just some recon.” Ayato’s gruff voice was thoughtful as he stalked down the street, his pace quick as usual. 

“Can we get something to eat? I’m hungry.” Alice pouted as she tried to match his pace. 

“When we’re done here.” Ayato grumbled as he rounded a corner, where a car was waiting for them. Alice huffed in annoyance, but her loyalty for the boy won over as she slid into the passenger seat. The car ride was silent, Ayato wouldn’t even let her turn on the radio. Alice crossed her arms and looked out the window sullenly, the city seemed empty tonight for some reason, they drove through the 20th ward, Ayato had cracked the window so that he could catch a whiff of whatever it was that he was looking for. Finally he stopped and climbed out of the car, they were in the center of the 20th ward, the next target for Aogiri Tree to conquer. 

“Stay here, I’ll do this on my own.” Ayato leapt onto the rooftop and took off before Alice could protest. She pursued her lips into a pout as she leaned up against the side of the car, she surveyed her surroundings, an empty stretch of shops. Just as she was about to climb back into the car she heard a pained cry. She froze, her hand on the door handle, the rank scent of a ghoul crashed over her senses. Who would allow their scent to be so pungent? Certainly not any self respecting ghoul. She was thoroughly interested now, she lifted her head to catch the scent on the breeze once more, although it was a bit difficult with the oncoming storm. 

She slowly wandered down the street, her head swinging from side to side as she tried to decipher where the scent was coming from. She froze when another cry erupted from a nearby alleyway. Sure enough, crouched in the back was a ghoul, his back was to her, his bright ukaku kagune casting brilliant shades of blue in the dark alley. 

“Are you…” her voice cracked when the boy turned around, his jade green eyes filled with tears, only one eye was dark. 

“Woah, what’s wrong with your eye kid?” Alice took a few steps closer to the boy, who flinched away from her, he crawled backwards on his hands. 

“Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you!” He cried out, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks. Alice held her hands up in an attempt to look less threatening, 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” She spoke slowly as she edged closer, he whimpered and shook his head violently. 

“Stay back!” he screamed, his kagune seemed to expand further, as he whimpered in pain. Alice almost turned and left the struggling ghoul, but his odd eye made her stay out of curiosity. She closed the space between them with a few quick steps, she dropped down in front of him, her elbows resting on her knees as she inspected his eyes. 

“Does it hurt?” she practically whispered, the boy nodded as a few silent tears escaped from his eyes. 

“You need to eat.” She said with a frown as she looked around for something to feed him. 

“No, no please-” he fell silent as she stood up and walked further into the alley, she spotted a small encampment where a homeless person probably lived. She pulled the ratty tarp back and nodded with approval at the sight of an old drunk man who was passed out. She straddled the man and snapped his neck with ease. She then tore his forearm off and stalked back over to the young boy. He couldn’t have been much older than herself. 

She held the appendage out for him to take. He screamed again and crawled away, huddling against a trash can. She frowned, unsure of where his reluctance was coming from. Until she spied a briefcase of a dove propped up against the nearby brick wall. She then noted that he wore a trench coat that the doves wore. 

“This is more complicated than I thought…” She sighed as she sat down on the floor near him, tossing the arm at his feet. His eyes shined with eagerness as he slowly reached for the flesh, before he seemed to remember that it was wrong. He flinched away as if he’d been struck, a clap of thunder and a flash of bright lightning illuminated the alley. Alice remained kneeled before him, the appendage dangling between the space between the two.   
“What’s your name kid.” she asked with a sigh as a trail of drool trickled down his chin. He sniffled, his lip trembling, eyes locked on the limb. 

“E-Eren.” he said with great effort as he licked his lips. His eyes seemed to shine with a new understanding as he looked at the warm flesh. Alice hummed as she waved the hand teasingly at the boy who lunged and snatched the limb from her grasp. He growled as he opened his mouth wide and bit down without any hesitation. Alice raised a brow as she watched the boy scarf down the flesh with an urgency. 

“That’s more like it.” she chuckled as he ravenously devoured the arm. Blood dribbled down his chin, mixing with the drool to make a thick, light pink liquid that was staining his white coat. He sobbed as he scarfed down another mouthful, the stark white bone beginning to show now. Alice slowly rose to her feet to bring him another limb, this time she brought him the leg of the man. Now Eren had no hesitation as he snatched the leg from her grasp and ripped into the flesh. Alice studied his features once more, her eyes roaming over his face, which was now stained with the man’s blood. His eyes were no longer filled with tears, now they were shining with an intense gleam of determination.

“There is a place where you can get some help.” Alice spoke slowly, she didn’t want to aid Anteiku, but she couldn’t see him thriving at Aogiri. She knew that she needed to swallow her resentment for the sake of this boy. 

“It’s not far from here, if I were you I’d go now, before the doves show.” She instructed as she turned to leave, surely Ayato would be waiting for her. 

“It’s called Anteiku.” She said over her shoulder before she jogged out of the alley, not waiting for his reply. 

Eren watched the strange ghoul retreat as more fat raindrops fell from the sky. Another clap of thunder shook the city and he dropped the leg, suddenly feeling sick. That place was the coffee shop that he had visited with his squad only days earlier. The rain soaked right though his clothes as he walked aimlessly towards the shop, it was close thankfully. Images of his friends flashed through his mind, Armin, Mikasa, Sasha, Jean, Connie, Historia, all of them meant the world to him. Would they be able to overlook whatever it was that he had become? What did this mean for his career as an investigator? He fell to his knees once more, but this time he was in front of the small coffee shop, which was now dark. His lip trembled as he lifted his fist to knock on the door, he slumped down with his back against the door as he buried his face in his hands. 

The door swung open, the boy fell backwards into the shop. A man towered over him, his silver hair fell over his face, obstructing Eren’s view of his features. 

“Are you alright?” his deep voice rumbled from deep in his chest as he knelt to help Eren onto his feet.   
“I ate him.” Eren mumbled, holding his bloody hands out for the man to see. The man’s eyes widened a fraction at the sight of his lone red eye, the sight seemed to be becoming a familiar one now. 

“I see.” He spoke slowly as he shut the door and slid the lock home. Eren swayed on his feet, gripping the edge of the counter to steady himself. 

“Are you hurt?” the man asked, placing himself between the boy and the door. His large frame made Eren feel small. 

“I-I don’t think so.” Eren said, running his hands over his chest, as if ensuring that he was really in one piece. 

“Have a seat, our manager will be with you shortly.” The man said as he moved to leave the cafe. Eren obediently dropped onto one of the stools and gripped the counter tightly, hoping to keep himself anchored. 

He heard footsteps from in front of him. He looked up to see an older man who held a kind smile. 

“Hello young man.” The older man did, walking over to the boy. 

“Hello.” Eren said shyly, looking down. He noticed a small drop of blood that had fallen from the corner of his mouth. The old man handed him a dark cloth. Which he used to wipe his face. Then looked back up sheepishly to his elder

“Welcome to Anteiku.” He said, smiling down to the young boy.


	8. Everything Changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally are getting places with Levi in this chapter! I know that this has been a bit of a slow burn, but expect the pace to pick up from here on out.

The young girl walked over to the blue haired boy. Noticing how his hair grew black in the night. The dark car parked behind him, he seemed unnerved. 

“Where were you? I told you to stay put. ” He growled grabbing onto the girl's arm. With almost a sense of fear in his eyes. She placed her hand on his skin, which seemed to calm him down a bit. 

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She said, meeting his hurt eyes. He scoffed and pulled his arm away fiercely. 

“Worried? You’re the last thing I would ever worry about.” He said. Not meeting her familiar blue pools. 

She looked down at her shoes, which were covered in the familiar red liquid. 

“I’m still hungry.” She said, looking back up to the annoyed boy. 

“Fine. We’ll get something at home. There’s always stuff lying around. Plus I probably still have some stuff in my room.” He said grabbing onto the girls hand harshly, walking her back to the dark vehicle. She smiled and followed him blindly as he led her. 

“Admit, you were worried.” Alice said, intertwining her fingers with his. 

“Shut up.” The boy said, a small smile sprouting at his cheeks. 

___

The blonde girl looked into the old mirror and was plaques by her sister's face. She wished that she could remove her skin and grow a new pair of eyes, a new set of lips. And even a new layer of hair. But not even that would help her get her sisters words out of her damaged head. 

“Hey, have you seen my apron?” Emi asked breaking the young blonde out of her dazed state. 

“You mean this?” The young girl asked, holding up a small piece of black fabric, which she found positioned next to the toilet. 

The girl scoffed and grabbed her apron from her cousin, tying it around her slim waist. Her long blonde hair getting into her face 

“You know you’d have a better time finding it if you put it on the new hooks I bought.” Addy said, handing the young woman a black hair tie, which was holding up her hair just moments before. 

“I’ll remember next time.” Emi said, acknowledging the young girl as she carefully pinned her lengthy hair behind her ears in a loose ponytail. 

“Sure you will.” Addy said moving into the kitchen where a fresh pot of coffee was brewing slowly. 

“You know they make that downstairs.” Emi said, pulling out a small stool and sitting on it. 

“Yeah, but if I go get coffee now. I would have to see Nishki, and I don’t think that I can stop myself from ripping out his throat and stomping on his stupid glasses just yet.” The young blonde said smiling to Emi. taking the pot out of its holder and pouring it smoothly into an old antique tea cup. 

“You two must start to get along. You’re scaring poor Kanaki.” Emi said, accepting a cup from Addy. She sipped leisurely as her cousin took a seat next to her. 

“He’s seen a hell of a lot worse than Nishiki and I.” The young girl said, looking into the dark liquid. As though their minds had been transferred back to that night. Both of their spines shivered as they recalled the boy running in the shop drenched. The young Hinami's eyes were a deep red. 

“That poor girl. No kid should lose their parents that young.” Emi said, tracing her cup with her finger and breaking the dense silence that stood between the two girls. 

“We did.” Addy said harshly, going to the sink and pouring out her coffee, now too sick to even think about drinking. She stood over the sink for a moment, not knowing the two well didn’t stop her from feeling heartbroken. She had known pain like this before, they both had. 

An alarm broke Emi away from her tight knit gazes. She looked over quickly to see the small alarm clock that stood between the two beds. Emi got up and shut it off quickly, collecting her bearings. 

“We should go down, we don’t want Yoshimura to dock our pay.” Emi said, looking over to her cousin who’s cheeks seemed unusually pale. 

“Addy?” Emi asked, her eyes narrowing on the young girl. Who was now holding onto the kitchen sink, staring into it with deep thought. 

The young girl looked confused as she met the young woman’s eyes. 

“You okay?” Emi asked, stepping out of the bedroom. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Addy said brushing off her skirt. 

The two went downstairs to see Nishki standing alone behind the counter. His hand on a towel that stayed still as he gazed emptily out the large window. 

“Where is everyone?” Emi asked, stepping behind the counter with Nishiki. While Addy picked up a bucket of water that was left from last night by the window and pouring it out in the sink. 

“They’re in the back with a new guy.” Nishki said, pointing over to the CCG coat on one of the chairs. 

The girls looked to each other and ran into the back to find a door open to the break room. Where Yoshimura was sitting on one of the couches. Yomo standing behind him, he was smiling at someone, they entered the room and were surprised to see an unfamiliar young boy with dark hair scarfing down a bloody arm. His suit jacket with the CCG patch on it. One of his eyes was a deep red. While the other held a green tint. The two swords felt horribly familiar to the girls. It made their stomachs churn. 

The boy looked up to the two girls, and gave them a cheeky smile. Addy lunged at him, Yomo moved closer to her and Emi held the girl back by her arms. 

“Why the hell is there a dove here?” Addy growled, trying to get to the young boy. Who had retreated into the corner of the leather sofa. 

“Calm down Addy. He’s our guest.” Yoshimura said, smiling comfortingly at the young man. 

Hearing the man's calming voice, made the girl move back. Her once growing red eyes turned back into her normal blues. Plus she knew that Touka would probably have a better reason to rip off his meak little head. 

“Sit down, we have a lot to discuss.” Yoshimura said, pointing to the two chairs that sat beside the two couches. The girls sat in them and the man told them all about a new plan. 

__

Alice’s eyes were trained on Ayato’s shoulder blades, which swayed as he walked. Over the past few weeks that she had followed him she had noticed that the boy had an odd gait. He seemed to walk effortlessly, shoulders pulled back, head turned upwards, in a way he reminded her of a big cat. A true predator, the thought sent shivers down her spine. All the ghouls cowered in his presence, all except for the three that they had met in the cafeteria. Ayato stopped abruptly, causing Alice to crash into his solid back, she grunted but made no effort to back up. Ayato turned around slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes were dark and his mouth was turned downwards in a deep frown. 

“You stay here.” He spoke slowly, pointing a finger towards the ground. Just as he finished his order, the trio from earlier emerged from the shadows. The two male ghouls nodded at Ayato who scoffed and pushed through the doors and disappeared, leaving Alice alone with the blonde girl. The female ghoul leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest as she made herself comfortable. Alice also made an effort to get comfortable, she had learned that these meetings tended to last long periods of time. She propped herself against the wall and turned to look at the ghoul, her icy eyes were trained forwards, a dull expression plastered on her angled face. When she noticed Alice’s stare she turned to meet her eyes, a brow quirked in question. 

“What’s your damage kitten?” The ghoul asked, a small smirk playing onto her lips at Alice’s shocked expression. 

“What?” She gasped as the blonde angled herself to face Alice fully. 

“I’ve heard rumors about the kitten that killed those investigators.” She hummed, knowing that she had the girl exactly where she wanted her. 

“And?” She huffed defiantly, her cheeks puffing up as she tried to muster a menacing glare. However the blonde only let out a peel of laughter at her reaction. 

“Just saying, Ayato’s picked out a great pet.” she chuckled as she kicked the toe of her doc marten against the dusty floor. 

“I’m not-” 

“Don’t start that with me, you’re not the first ghoul to fall under his spell.” She scoffed, her playful aura quickly darkening. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alice asked defensively as she watched the girl carefully. 

“I’m just saying that if you aren’t careful, he’ll eat away at you until there’s nothing left.” She shrugged nonchalantly and Alice bristled at her words. 

“It’s different with us.” Alice said, but even to her own ears she sounded unsure. 

“I’m just telling you what I know.” The blonde said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. 

“Well cut it out.” Alice muttered, turning away, not wanting to hear more about the boy’s past. The blonde smirked and Alice realized that she hadn’t even gotten the girl’s name yet. 

“By the way, what’s your name?” She asked a bit shyly, as she turned to face her once more. 

“Annie.” the girl said, her tone dull and almost bored in contrast to her tone earlier on in the conversation. 

“I’m Alice.” The young girl said holding her hand out for the blonde to take. Which she did. 

“I like your hair.” Annie said looking at the girls head, which was still a mix between black and blonde. Her straight hair was an odd mix. Like it was unsure which color it wanted to be. Annie ran her fingers through it gently. 

“Really? I’m not feeling it anymore. It looks too much like my sisters. I’m thinking about cutting it.” The young Alice said, her cheeks flushed. 

“You wanna cut it now? We’ve got time.” The young blonde said smiling down at Alice. 

“Really?” Alice asked, shooting up with excitement. 

“Why not.” Annie said, shrugging her thin shoulders. 

“Ayato told me to stay here.” Alice said, glancing at the large door. 

“Screw him.” Annie said, grabbing onto the young girl's hand and leading her back the way Ayato and her had gone before. Annie led her down an unfamiliar corridor. Their hands were clasped together as they rushed down the new territory. Both their cheeks held a light flush, as they giggled to one another. 

“Sit here.” Annie said, sitting her down in a small wooden chair. The blonde went over to her dresser and grabbed a small broken mirror. Which Alice gladly took. She crossed her legs and awaited for what Annie would do next. Though she hasn’t known her for more than twenty minutes she felt a great trust between the two. Which would be the girls greatest strength but worst weakness. 

“How much do you want off?” Annie asked, setting her hands on the girls shoulders. 

“Just take all the blonde out.” Alice said, still smiling widely. 

“That’s a lot. Are you sure Kitten?” Annie asked, now playing with the girl's long locks. 

I’m positive.” Alice said, turning her head up to meet Annie’s eyes. The young blonde, couldn’t help but think about how her lips would feel on hers. Thinking about how she would taste, how it would feel to hold her. Taking in her deep rose water scent. She looked into her blue eyes for ages, but she quickly reverted her gaze and cleared her throat. The young girl looked back down and closed her eyes. Ready for what was to come next. 

The blonde cut the girls hair carefully as the young girl bounced with excitement.

“You know if you want this to be straight you’re going to have to sit still.” Annie said, chuckling. The young girl couldn’t think of the last time she had laughed like this. The only time she could think of was with her father. Which made the girl smile wider, but hold a deep sadness in her icy blue eyes. 

“Sorry, I’m just really excited.” The girl said softly, feeling a bit of embarrassment. 

“It’s okay, I just really don’t want to fuck up your hair.” She said, snapping out of her daze and returning back to the hair. Which was mostly finished. 

“Thanks.” The girl said, now less jittery than before. 

“It’s not that big of a deal.” Annie muttered, brushing off the beautiful girl’s gratitude. 

“It is to me.” Alice said, playing with the small mirror as Annie cut off the last piece of blonde on her head. Annie brushed off her neck carefully. Removing all the excess hair from her back. It made Alice’s spine chill, as Annie’s cold fingers took a clump off of the young girls back. 

“Okay you can look. Just don’t be too pissed.” Annie said reaching over Alice and flipping the small mirror towards her. 

The young girl looked into the mirror and saw someone completely different. Her hair was now cut short. Ending just above her shoulders. It was now completely black. Making her doll like eyes seem even more bright and blue. When she looked at herself, her sister no longer held her gaze. Now it was her and her alone. She was new, she was a completely different person. And for the first time ever the girl felt truly alive. She dropped the mirror carelessly and ran to Annie wrapping her arms around the girl. Who was no more than an inch taller than her. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” She said, almost sounding sorrowful. Annie’s heart skipped a beat as she wearily wrapped her arms around the joyful girl. 

___

The long meeting was finally over and Ayato could finally stretch his tired legs. While others were talking about hunting for breakfast. He was thinking of what young Alice was doing. The thought of her waiting for him all night brought a smile to his face. He got up swiftly out of his chair and went out the large door where everyone one else had begun to gather. He looked over to the wall where he had left her and instead of finding a sleeping Alice. He saw that there was no one there. His breath quickened as he looked around the completely empty area. 

“Have you seen Alice?” The raven haired boy asked Reiner and Bertholdt. 

“Maybe she went to bed. Annie’s also gone. They probably got tired of waiting.” Reiner said halfway, turning his head to Ayato, seeming uninterested. 

“No! I told her to stay. She always follows orders!” Ayato yelled, picking up Reiner by the collar and pinning him against the large golden door. 

“Hey man, we’ll help you find her.” Bertholdt said, his eyes wide. Ayato threw Reiner against the wall. He landed with a loud thud that caused a few others to stare in their direction. 

“Okay, you guys check the west wing. I’ll check the East. She’s dumb, she couldn’t have gotten far.” Ayato said, his eyes still searching for the small girl. 

“Okay.” Bertholdt said, picking up Reiner from the cold cement. Ayato ran out of the room and began searching for the young girl. His breath still vastly paced, and his heart began to match it. He opened each door and he hoped that he wouldn’t find her dead in one of them. She hasn’t been to this part of the mall before. So part of him thought it was hopeless but the other part of him knew she liked to explore. So continued on. He opened the door at the end of the hall to find Alice and Leonhart hand in hand. The young girl met his eyes and his heart slowed down. He noticed her hair, how she didn’t look like herself. How she held a deep sense of excitement as she pulled her fingers through it. 

“Do you like it?” Alice asked, getting out of Annie’s clutch. Ayato shook himself of worry and now focused on anger. He clutched onto the girls wrist harshly and pulled her behind him. 

“What the hell Leonhart?” He yelled, looking at all of the young girls blonde locks on the floor. Annie looked at him unamused. 

“She asked me to do it. Plus it looks better, doesn’t it Alice?” Annie asked, meeting the girl’s gaze. She began to answer when Ayato cut her off. 

“You’re not talking to her, you’re talking to me!” Ayato growled, his eyes growing red. 

“Calm down, she looks fine.” Annie said, moving the small wooden chair to her desk. 

“I don’t care about her damn hair Annie!” The boy shouted, for the first time he used her first name to address her. 

“Then what do you care about?” She asked, trying to get Alice to look at her. But the girl's eyes had reverted down to the floor. Her hair glowing softly in the sun. 

“Just stay away from her.” Ayato said, his eyes no longer red. But bearing a deep purple. 

Before Annie could speak the boy dragged the girl away. Her new friend vanished behind her. He held onto her wrist tightly as he led her back to her room. 

“Ow, Ayato you’re hurting me.” The girl whines trying to tear her wrist away. But the boy didn’t listen, he just held on tighter as he thought of ripping Annie’s perfect blonde head off. 

“You’re not allowed to see her anymore.” Ayato warned, and this time she knew that if she didn’t listen, the punishment would be worse than a bruised wrist. 

__  
Emi sat across from the young boy. His eyes looked pure and innocent, but his coat told another story. If she sniffed hard enough, she swore she could smell ghoul blood all over it. He met her eyes. As though he knew what she was thinking. He gave her a small smile and she turned her head. Meeting the gaze of Yomo, who was talking with the young Addy. His hand was placed thoughtfully on her arm. His thumb rubbing small circles on her bicep. Emi raised a questioning brow. Which made the man pull his hand away quickly. 

“You’re dead, asshole!” Touka screamed, her eyes a fiery red. Pain running through her veins as she lunged at him. Emi stepped in front of the youngling ready to meet Touka’s fist. Which stopped right at her nose. She could feel the air whoosh between them with her quick movements. 

“Move you idiot!” Touka growled, looking down at the boy. Emi stayed put in her position. 

“That’s enough Touka. Take a walk and cool down, we’ll talk more tomorrow.” Yoshimura said, near the front door. Both girls looked his way. 

“You’re crazy, old man. You have all lost your minds.” Touka said, looking at their elder. 

“Take a walk Touka.” He said again, this time more firmly than before. He held the door open for the young girl. The cold air blew into the shop. Touka looked to Emi once more. 

“Don’t forget who the enemy is.” Touka said harshly, her eyes drilled through Emi’s skull and straight to Eren’s eyes. His heart rate quickened at the thought of her. 

The girl took her coat from Yoshimura and left quickly. Her scent still remained once she had gone. It lingered in the woman’s nose just as her words rang through her head. 

The cafe rang quiet. Yoshimura smiled at the group.

“Eren. You should probably go home, I’ll be in touch.” Yoshimura said kindly, still holding the door open. The boy looked up to Emi with an expecting gaze. She looked down to him blankly and walked over to Yomo and Addy. The boy got up, his shoulders hung low. He took his jacket off of the chair and swung it over his arm. Then he walked solumley out of the cafe, not turning back to meet their gaze. The man closed the door behind the boy and walked away. 

The three remained, Emi now sitting on the bar stools looking at the older man, who’s gaze seemed still to be on Addy. 

“Let’s get shit faced.” Emi said getting up off the stool. Yomo laughed at her words. 

“We can go to Helter Skelter. I get free drinks there.” Yomo said, looking down to the young woman. Who’s eyes were eager. 

“You two do what you want. I’m going to bed.” Addy said, getting up from the stool. Bags had under her doll like eyes. Yomo looked to her with disappointment. 

“You sure?” He asked, turning his body towards the girl. 

“Yeah. It’s been a long day, I just want to sleep.” She said, her head hung low. 

“Do you want me to walk you back?” Yomo asked, walking towards the young blonde. 

“I live up stairs.” She said flatly, looking at the tall man. 

“Oh yeah. Right.” Yomo said sheepishly, stepping out of the girl's way. She walked slowly past him, and out of his line of sight. 

“What was that?” Emi asked, holding back her laughter. 

The man looked down at her, his cheeks a light pink. 

“Come on, let’s go.” Yomo scoffed, walking over to the door. 

The young woman walked out with him and they were met with the cold air once again. The man walked ahead of her, overcome with embarrassment. 

“I’m so sorry Yomo. I almost forget, do you want me to walk you back? It’ll be no trouble.” She said slyly, matching the man’s pace. He nudged her. 

“Don’t talk about that ever again.” He said harshly, not meeting her eyes. 

“Don’t worry buddy, your crush is safe with me.” She said, nudging him again. He stopped in his tracks. 

“It’s not a crush, I was just worried.” He said, his cheeks still flushed. She put her hands up in surrender. 

“Fine it’s not a crush.” She said, a smile spread across her lips.

“Do you want to get drunk or not?” He asked, turning the corner. They were met with the bar's neon sign. Which made both of their faces glow a bright yellow. The woman grabbed onto the taller man's arm. 

“Looks like you need a few. Don’t worry we’ll put it on my tab.” She said, still smiling as the pair descended the short set of stairs to enter the bar. Upon entering they were surprised to find the bar not empty. Itori stood behind the bar, her elbows resting on the counter as she leaned forward to refill Uta’s glass. Uta was giving the dark haired male next to him fleeting glances, his eyes for once resembling that of a human more than a ghoul. 

“Why hello.” Uta greeted, as Yomo and Emi strolled in, arms still linked. Emi’s wide green eyes were locked on the dove, who was hunched over a glass of bourbon. She slipped out of Yomo’s grasp to take a seat next to the man. He didn’t acknowledge her presence at first, instead opting to take another long swig of his drink. 

“Not everyday the two of you come in so lovey dovey.” Itori commented as she corked the wine and rounded the bar to sit next to Uta and Yomo. 

“He needed some extra love after Addy shot him down.” Emi hummed as she leaned behind the man who sat between her and her friends. 

“Oh poor baby.” Itori cooed as she patted the large ghoul across his back. He grumbled into his glass of wine as Uta and Itori began drilling him with questions. 

“So we meet again.” Emi spoke in a hushed tone as she turned to address the man next to her. He grunted, those catlike eyes of his sliding to meet her face, which was twisted in a smirk. 

“So it seems.” Levi mumbled as he lifted his glass to his lips and took a small sip of the smooth liquid. Emi drummed her slender fingers against the counter as she thought out her next words carefully. 

“What brings you back to this side of town?” She asked good naturedly as she leaned closer to the man who eyed her skeptically. 

“It’s on the way back to my place, needed a drink.” His words were clipped and calloused, Emi almost considered leaving him and his drink alone, but she pressed on. 

“I see, so what I’m hearing is that I wasn’t the sole purpose of you coming around?” She teased playfully, nudging his bicep, he didn’t flinch away much to her pleasure. 

“Not exactly..” he hummed, a hint of amusement on his breath. 

“I don’t believe that we’ve properly met.” Emi smiled at him, holding a hand out to shake his own. His brows narrowed at her hands and after a moment of hesitation, he took it, his own calloused palm meeting Emi’s. 

“Levi.” 

“Emi.” She smiled at him, although she had known his name it was nice to finally have met formally. 

“Hm Emi…it means ‘blessed’ or ‘beautiful’ if I remember correctly.” Levi mused, his hand still holding Emi’s. She nodded in agreement and allowed him to slip away from her grasp. 

“My father picked it out.” She stated, not sure what else to tell him. 

“He has good taste.” Levi huffed, turning his attention back to his drink. Emi only chuckles dully and shifts in her seat, sensing that if she asked about his personal life he would not answer. 

“He did.” Emi sighed dreamily, thinking of her father, a man with dark hair and dazzling green eyes. He had been a piece of work, he had been a binge eater, always out late in search of his next victim. He had been all Emi’d had, her mother long gone, her grandmother had disowned her father, leaving the pair to fend for themselves. 

“Sorry for your loss.” Levi apologized, but it was hollow and not quite genuine. Not that she blamed him, he didn’t know her father, or her so why would he go out of his way to comfort her? 

“It’s alright it was a long time ago.” Emi shrugged off the awkwardness as she lifted her glass to her lips and took a swig. 

“Do you have any siblings?” She was surprised when Levi made the effort to continue the conversation, he seemed to be more mellow than the past few times they had met. 

“No but I have these two annoying cousins, they’re basically my sisters.” Emi said with a dark chuckle. Levi huffed as he turned to face her once more, his eyes were half lidded and seemed to have a dark fire within them. 

“Do you?” Emi pressed in an attempt to shrug off the intense gaze he was giving her. 

“Yeah, I have a pissy little cousin.” He said nonchalantly, Emi felt her brows raise at the casual tone that he had taken to speak on such a touchy subject. 

“I feel for you.” Emi found herself reaching her hand to place tenderly over his tense forearm. His eyes shifted downwards to inspect her hand on his arm, her nails were neatly manicured and were free of grime. He could feel the callouses on her palm, from what he wasn’t sure. But he enjoyed the way that her tumb slowly rubbed a circle over his pale skin. 

He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly as her grip on his arm remained steady. 

“It’s in the past.” he shrugged, swirling the bourbon in his glass around as he tried to distract himself from her feather light touches. Emi shrugged as well, a coy smirk playing onto her lips. Her green eyes were fixated on his features, a sharp jawline, delicate brows and pronounced cheekbones. But what she felt most drawn to was his scent. He smelled clean, a perfect mixture of soap and lemons. Her thumb paused it’s movements along his tense arm when she felt an arm drape lazily across her shoulders. 

“Oh Emi, it’s been far too long.” Itori cooed, her breath fanning across Emi’s cheek. Emi grunted in frustration and shrugged the redhead off her with little difficulty.   
“Apparently not long enough.” Emi huffed as she watched Itori with apprehension as she rounded the bar to refill glasses. Levi scoffed, enjoying the woman’s crude tone. 

“Oh no need to be so callous, little girl.” Itori pouted, poking her hip out as she poured more bourbon for Levi. Emi rolled her eyes and stood up and smoothed her skirt back into place. Levi’s eyes lingered on the hem of the beige skirt, and the tanned skin that was beneath the panty hose. 

“Let’s get out of here.” Emi leaned in to Levi from behind, her chest pressing against his back as she whispered into his ear. Normally Levi wouldn’t allow others to get so close to his face, but he could hardly recall the last time he got laid by someone that wasn’t Hange. They were too predictable nowadays, Levi craved a fresh lay. 

“Leaving already?” Uta hummed as Emi pulled on her coat, sending a coy smirk in Levi’s direction. 

“Afraid so.” Emi feigned sadness as she waited for Levi to gather his bearings, her eyes locked on him as he placed a wad of crisp bills onto the bar. Itori raised a questioning brow at the blonde as she sauntered out of the bar, Levi following not far behind.


	9. Blood Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically porn so if you aren't into that you should skip it.

The pair walked in silence down the deserted sidewalk, Emi watched Levi as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag and offered her the cigarette as he blew the smoke out his nose. Emi held up a hand in denial, she was already a tad buzzed from the alcohol and she dared not get more intoxicated. Levi shrugged and brought it back to his lips for another drag, the scent of menthol filled Emi’s delicate nostrils and she couldn’t help but scrunch her face in mild disgust. 

Her father had been a smoker, it felt like only yesterday he was dragging her through stingy alleyways to find their next meal. Vivid images of him standing over a dying human, his boot placed cruelly on the person’s head as he lit a cigarette. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts and bring her back to the present. Levi was not her father, although she figured that he had a good ten years on her at least. She had always gone for older men. 

“Your place or mine?” His cool voice brought her back to reality, she turned and smiled devilishly at him. 

“Yours, my roommate isn’t keen on guests.” Emi said in a playful tone as the pair continued down the dark street. Levi hummed and dropped the half finished cigarette onto the sidewalk and stepped on it with his dark dress shoe. 

“Very well then, I’ll call a cab.” He said, stepping out to the curb and lifting his hand to hail a passing taxi. Emi stood next to him, a certain excitement bubbling up in her chest, it had been ages since her last decent lay. A cab pulled up to the curb and Levi opened the door for Emi as she slipped into the back seat, he slid in after her, placing his silver briefcase on the floorboard. Emi sat in the middle, closest to Levi as he told the driver his address, her hand fell onto his thigh, her grip tightening when the car pulled away from the curb. 

“Do this often?” Emi asked playfully as she leaned into his space. Levi blinked slowly as his eyes fixated on her full lips. 

“Not really.” Levi admitted, but he didn’t seem any less confident with this out in the open. 

“And you? Do you...do this often?” Levi’s breath fanned over Emi’s face as she slid her hand from his thigh to his chest, fisting the crisp dress shirt in her hand. 

“Maybe.” She said huskily as she closed the space between them, her lips slotting with his. Emi led the kiss, her mouth moving hungrily over his own, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip experimentally. He opened his mouth eagerly and Emi couldn’t help but smirk into the kiss as she slid her tongue into his mouth. She could taste the bourbon on his tongue as they met in the middle, he groaned as she pulled back. She admired his appearance for a moment before leaning down to place a brief kiss to the corner of his lips, her hand abandoned his collar in favor of holding his jaw, pushing it to the right to give her access to his pale neck. In these close quarters she could make out the racing pulse beneath his skin, smell the subtle cologne and the scent of sweat that lingered on his skin. She barely controlled her breathing as she placed an open mouthed kiss just below his jawline. 

Levi groaned a bit, turning to putty in her hands as she brought her mouth up to bite the shell of his ear. 

“Do you have a girlfriend?” The question caught Levi off guard and he cleared his throat awkwardly. 

“No, I don’t have time for a-” His words were interrupted by a sharp inhale as Emi bit the sensitive skin over his collarbone. 

“Girlfriend.” Levi finished with a shaky breath as Emi pulled away to inspect his face for signs of fibbing. She may be lust driven, but she did not condone cheating. 

“You prefer...other relationships then?” Emi mused as she ran her thumb over his cheekbone, Levi’s jaw clenched at her words and his eyes trained back on those plump lips of hers as she spoke. 

“I suppose...that I do.” Levi agreed, leaning forward to chase her lips with a fervor. Emi placed a finger on his lips to prevent him from coming any closer, her eyes twinkling with mischief. 

“Eager, aren’t we? ” Her words made Levi’s stomach trip over itself, this was different from his past hookups. Usually Levi put in all the work, fulfilled the role of a dominating male, not necessarily roughly, but in control. This applied to the rest of his life as well, he was a captain after all, there was no room for submission. However in this situation he felt that he had no choice. The ride was short, when the cab came to a stop outside of a modern apartment building, nothing within Emi’s budget that’s for sure. But then again she had known that he must make a sizable wage considering how generously he tipped both times she had served him. Levi leaned forward and handed the driver a wad of cash before exiting the cab. The pair walked briskly up to the sleek building, the lobby was minimalistic and modern as Emi had expected, with potted plants and a plain but tasteful decor. Levi led the way to an elevator, where he pushed the button for the 31st floor. As soon as the doors closed Emi’s hands ran up and down his chiseled chest, coming to rest on his collarbones, she tapped her index finger gently against the exposed skin and smiled softly at the way his breath hitched. 

Emi brought her lips to his jaw once more as the elevator ascended, Levi tilted his head back to allow her more access, her tongue darted out to taste him. She kissed a trail up his jaw to the corner of his lips, her hands coming to cradle the sides of his face. His breath had grown shaky and almost erratic, she smiled at how easily she had riled him up. She had always had a knack for these types of things. 

“Who would have thought that the Captain Levi would be a bottom?” Emi hummed as she pecked the corner of his lips, he scoffed and brought his hand up to grip her pony tail, pulling the elastic from her hair. She grunted as the band pulled her hair, her gaze darkening, at his ministrations. 

“Careful Captain, or this may not go the way that you’d like.” she said grimly as he held her hair in a fist, his own gaze dark and challenging. The elevator dinged and they broke apart, Levi once more taking the lead as he stalked down the hallway to a door, he dug into his pocket and produced a key. Emi watched as he unlocked the door and pushed into the penthouse. The first thing she noticed was how the space almost seemed uninhabited, the only signs of any personal touches were a few pictures hanging on the wall. He had a rather tasteful sense in his decor, a dark sofa that was shaped in a large U with a dark coffee table in the center. A large flat screen tv was mounted on the wall. The kitchen was rather notable, with pots and pans hanging over the island, the countertops were a pristine white and seemed to shine in the moonlight. 

“Shoes off.” Levi ordered as he bent down to unlace his shoes and place them neatly by the door. Emi toed off her flats and shrugged off her coat, which Levi took like a gentleman and hung on one of the few hooks that were mounted to the wall. He placed his briefcase near the door as well before turning down a hallway, Emi counted three doors, she assumed that one was an office or some sort of guest room, another was most likely a bathroom, and the room at the end of the hall was certainly Levi’s. As she predicted, Levi walked to the end of the hall and pushed into the room, a large bed was in the center, a simple dresser and closet, and another door that had to be a bathroom. Emi was jared from her thoughts Levi turned and met her eyes as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing an impressive set of muscles. Emi’s eyes landed on one of his many scars, a pink gash that marred the skin above his hip. Emi reached out and brushed her thumb across the skin, feeling the puckered flesh. Levi showed no signs of pain as he watched her closely under hooded lids. Emi met his eyes as she kneeled down, her hand ghosting over his crotch momentarily before going for the zipper on his trousers. She placed a soft kiss over his scar as she pulled his pants down to pool around his ankles. Levi hissed as she opened her mouth and let out a breath of hot air over the evident bulge in his briefs. 

“Such a tease.” He groaned as he raked his hands through her hair, she chuckled and hooked her fingers through the waistband and tugged them down. His dick slapped against his stomach upon being freed from its constraints. She wrapped her hand around his length, swiping her thumb over the bead of precum to gather some lubricant before giving him a few good pumps. His grip tightened on her hair but he didn’t push her forward like the men in the past had. He earned some points for that at least, she thought bitterly to herself as she opened her mouth to take him. She slowly eased him into her mouth as she bobbed her head over his length, earning a deep growl from the depths of his chest. His dick twitched on her tongue as she hallowed her cheeks to take more of him in. Suddenly he pulled her off, she craned her neck back to look him in the eyes, a strand of saliva connecting them. 

“Problem?” Emi hummed, knowing that he had been about to cum only after less than two minutes into the blowjob. He remained silent, his mouth slightly ajar as he panted, Emi cocked her head to the side, awaiting an answer. 

“Use your words.” She demanded as she rose to her feet and pressed her chest against his, backing him up towards the bed. Levi looked conflicted for a minute, cheeks flushed and a few beads of sweat trickling down his neck and rolling off those prominent collarbones of his. 

“I want to be inside you...when I cum.” He said after a moment, his eyes darkening at his own words. 

“Hm we’ll see.” Emi said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him, he fell onto the bed, his body bouncing on the soft mattress. She slowly unbuttoned her dress shirt, allowing the fabric to fall off her shoulders before moving to unzip her skirt, pulling it off her waist along with her panty hose and her panties. Levi remained still as he watched the blonde strip, her own scars captivating him, particularly the one that was red and angry, directly over her ribs, running along the length of her torso. Maybe she wasn’t as soft as he had originally thought, Levi thought to himself as he watched her unclasp her bra. 

“Condom?” Emi asked, her eyes lingering on the nightstand, Levi nodded and rolled onto his side, reaching into the drawer and pulling out the familiar foil. He tore it open with his teeth and blowing into the rubber before rolling it onto himself. Emi nodded in approval before leaning forward, placing a demanding hand on his shoulder and pushing him back into the mattress. She crawled onto the bed, straddling him she kept a bruising grip on his shoulder as she lined him up at her entrance, Levi grunted, his hand flying up to squeeze her forearm. 

“Wait-” Emi froze, hovering over him, her brows knitting together in concern. 

“What’s wrong?” Emi asked breathlessly, her thighs burning as she waited for his response. 

“Should I... eat you out?” Levi asked, his face deathly serious. Emi chuckled, flattered by his offer, but she was more eager to feel him inside of her than his mouth on her cunt. 

“Not tonight.” She said, placing a chaste kiss on his lips before finally sinking down onto him. Levi hissed at the sudden sensation, her walls held him like a vice. He squeezed his eyes shut as she rocked her hips slowly easing into a rhythm as she rode him. His hands flew to her hips, urging her to quicken the pace before drifting in search of her clit. She let out a sharp exhale when he found what he was looking for, rubbing quick circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves to match the pace of her hips. She leaned forward in search of his lips, Levi met her half way, his hand running up her back and coming to a halt around the back of her neck. 

They kissed hungrily, Emi’s pace slowing in order to focus on the kiss. Emi attempted to pull away, and refocus on her ministrations, but Levi’s hand kept her in place, his teeth catching her bottom lip as she attempted to pull away. Emi hissed in pain when Levi’s teeth sank into the flesh of her lip. He released her when the coppery taste of her blood met his tongue. She leaned back, her pace quickening as blood dripped down her chin and dribbled onto his pale chest. Levi’s nose scrunched up in disgust but he found himself gripping her hips and ramming himself in to meet her grueling pace. Emi threw her head back at the added sensation of his pubic bone meeting her clit, the coil in her stomach winding tightly. Levi could sense that she was close, as her walls clenched around him. 

“Shit.” he breathed out as she bounced on top of him, her hooded gaze locked on his face. 

“Levi.” She moaned, her hair sticking to her face, the thin sheen of sweat that covered her body made her shine in the moonlight that spilled into his room. 

“I’m going to-” Levi grunted as he continued to meet her hips with his own. 

“Me too.” Emi groaned as she reached down to rub her own clit, chasing her release, the sight alone was enough to push Levi over the edge, releasing at the same time as her. After a moment Emi rolled off of him and layed next to him on the bed, her chest heaving as she came down from her high. 

“Best lay I’ve had in a long time.” Emi complimented with a soft chuckle, a sleepy smile spreading across her face. 

“Same here.” Levi agreed, turning his head to inspect her side profile, he felt his chest squeeze painfully as he watched her sit up and stretch. 

“Bathroom?” Emi asked, cocking her head towards the door to the left of the room, Levi nodded and sat up as well, pulling the soiled condom off his dick and tossing it in the wastebasket by his bed.   
“Thanks.” Emi winked at him as she made her way to the bathroom to pee and clean herself up a bit. Levi remained on his bed, still trying to process what had just happened. Moments later he heard the toilet flush, and he began preparing himself on how he wanted to tell the woman that she needed to leave. This was the downfall of fucking a stranger, the awkwardness that often followed, dancing around how to best ask them to leave. However when Emi emerged from the bathroom she immediately began pulling her clothes on, starting with her underwear and then her pantyhose. Levi’s brows furrowed as he watched her dress, she didn’t move quickly, insinuating that she didn’t feel embarrassed, he doubted that she ever would any way, she was much too confident for that. As she shrugged her dress shirt on Levi snapped out of his daze, sitting up and frowning at her as he buttoned the shirt lazily. 

“Problem?” She asked, not even bothering to spare him a glance. 

“No…” Levi said, eyeing her skeptically, this was uncharted territory for him, usually the people he brought to bed were a pain to get rid of. 

“Good then, I’ll see you around yeah?” She said, flashing a dazzling smile at him as she smoothed out her shirt. 

“Yeah see you.” Levi answered slowly as he watched her retreat from his room, her footsteps barely audible as she padded down the hall and slid her flats on again. The only sign that she had left was the sound of the lock clicking and the door shutting, leaving Levi in deafening silence.

**Author's Note:**

> food for thought:  
> "Sasha just ripped a giant fart, sir" -Mikasa Ackerman


End file.
